Blade of Vengeance
by AlanSchezar
Summary: Baiken unwittingly travels back to the feudal era in an attempt to kill "that man" before he creates the Gears, but ultimately finds something entirely different...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The wind grew cold, swirling through the dust, stirring its long and silent stillness, howling through the twisted steel and shattered glass of ruined buildings like the voices of anguished, restless spirits, long forgotten. This was not the false reality created within the Japanese internment colonies, the lands of eternal spring. This was the cold, harsh reality of a destroyed nation, where the very land itself cried out silently for a justice that could never come, cried in outrage for the innocent blood spilled upon it by that accursed man and his Gears.

Through the stillness came a solitary figure, her bearing stoic and immutable, as if unaffected by the devastation surrounding her. She was a slender woman of moderate height, with wild red hair tied back in a long pony tail. In front, her hair framed her face along each side. She bore a long vertical scar over her blinded left eye, but her face retained its delicate beauty nonetheless. Her expression was one of grim determination, and it showed in the resolute gaze of her single remaining hazel eye. She was dressed in a simple black and white kimono, the front left open provocatively wide to expose ample cleavage, tied with a blood red obi from which hung her katana. Her right sleeve, tattered and empty, billowed in the breeze as she moved. Between her lips she held a long, slender kiseru pipe, which she puffed occasionally, releasing little wisps of smoke into the air. Her feet were clad in simple straw sandals.

She paused as she passed an enormous tree, gazing up at it and shielding her eyes from the sun as she did so; its trunk rose up from gnarled, exposed roots to a broad canopy, now barren of leaves. Part way up its trunk was a bare spot where the bark had been worn away, and here she noticed a few scars, little chips taken out of the venerable tree's surface. For some reason, she found herself in an oddly reflective mood as she gazed at this great old tree, and she happened to recall the words that brought her to this forsaken place.

"Heh...so you killed I-No and met _that man_ you sought to destroy…and what if you had succeeded in killing him? What then? Would you be happy? Would it change anything? Would it bring back your arm or your eye?"

She had been furious then; she'd wanted to run that bastard Testament through, most of all because she knew he was right: it wouldn't have changed anything. "I would have my revenge!" she had screamed at him, her blade pressing against his neck as she held him pinned to the ground. He merely laughed at her, "You can't change the past by killing him…everyone you loved will still be dead; this world will still be dead!." She had smiled then, a wicked, bitter smile, "Then tell me what else there is but revenge? If the world is going to be ruined, then I'll at least ensure that the bastard who did it burns in Hell!" She had been about to cut Testament's heart out when he grinned at her in his mysterious, unsettling way, "What if you had the chance to change it? To rewrite the past?"

As Senshiro Baiken stood before the great ancient tree, she thought very carefully about that. Changing the past. Was it possible? She knew that the man called Axl Low claimed to be from the past, and that he had somehow inexplicably slipped through time to the ruined future. If he could pass through time, then perhaps she could too. The image of her family flashed through her mind as Baiken turned away from the tree, continuing her journey.

"Go to Japan, to the ruins of Tokyo. There you will find a shrine with a great tree, and nearby it a hut with an ancient well, the Well of the Bone Eaters. This well is a gateway to the past. Leap into it and you will find…hehe…your destiny, perhaps? Even I cannot say."

Testament's words echoed in Baiken's mind as she caught sight of a decrepit hut, its roof partially collapsed, tucked away on the shrine's grounds. She gripped the hilt of her katana and walked to the hut, carefully climbing its rickety, decaying stairs. As she pushed on the door, it fell in, its rusted hinges giving way. The interior of the small building was musty and deserted, but there in the middle of it, overgrown with dead weeds, was the well. Leaping down from the walkway that ran around the inner walls of the hut, Baiken leaned over it, peering into its depths. She saw only darkness. She listened, blinking as she peered into that inky void, trying to discern something magical about this simple, unassuming well. Could Testament have been lying? Did he just want to save his own worthless hide and send her on a wild goose chase? No…it wasn't his style…there must be something special about this well. She puffed her pipe introspectively for a moment before withdrawing it from her lips and tossing it into the dirt.

Sighing, she gripped her katana tightly. She had nothing to lose anyway, so she leapt up onto the well's edge and jumped into the inky blackness. She fell a long time through the abyssal darkness, until suddenly she found herself surrounded by a strange blue light. Below her, she saw a small white light glowing, becoming brighter and closer as she fell toward it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The world rushed in around her and Baiken suddenly found herself shooting up out of the well again. She sailed up a bit, then began to fall. She let out a little yelp of surprise and flailed her arm and legs, trying to remain balanced enough to land on her feet. Despite her best efforts, she came down with a thud, landing rather awkwardly on her behind in the dew-covered grass. "Agh, shit!" she yelled, rolling over and rubbing her butt. Cursing under her breath, she slowly got to her feet. When she opened her eye, she found herself in a small open field surrounded by woods. It was night and the full moon was overhead, casting its pale light through the shadowy trees and undergrowth, flooding the field. All around her, she could hear the sounds of night creatures, crickets and the occasional frog. She blinked, rubbing her head and looking around in bewilderment. The well was behind her, but everything else was different; the shrine was gone, and there was no sign of the city, ruined or otherwise. Had she really traveled back in time? She must have…but if so, then what year was it? She dropped her hand back to the hilt of her sword, heading out across the field in search of any sign of civilization.

Climbing to the top of a nearby hill, Baiken gazed around her; the country side was wild and pristine, stretching off far into the distance over hills and valleys, dotted with little patches of woods. Here and there a stream would cut the landscape, and not far off in a small valley she could see rice paddies. Her heart dropped into her stomach as she spotted the lights of a small village of huts. In the middle of the town was a bon fire, and she could make out peasants dressed in simple, traditional Japanese attire gathered around it. This was all wrong! This could not have been the Japan that was destroyed by the Gears! There were no cities, no paved roads, nothing modern at all. She had somehow come back in time too far, but what year was it? Baiken covered her face, leaning back and unleashing a scream of rage and frustration that echoed across the night landscape. She had been tricked by that son of a bitch! The well was a gateway to the past, but not the past she wanted to change; it had taken her to an era far earlier than when the creator of the Gears was even born. In her rage, she turned to a nearby tree and slammed her fist into it with a roar of pure fury and despair, "Damn you to Hell, Testament!" she spat bitterly, "When I get back I'm going to cut out your lying tongue! Cursed bastard…"

"Excuse me, lady. You shouldn't swear like that, it isn't nice."

Baiken blinked in surprise as she heard the voice of a young girl. She looked to her left and saw a small black-haired girl looking up at her. The child wore a simple, yellow and white checkered kimono tied with a thin green obi. She bore a cute smile as she looked up at Baiken with big brown eyes.

"Feh…get lost, kid, I don't need etiquette lessons from an ankle biter."

The little girl giggled, still smiling up at her. Baiken frowned, looking down disdainfully at the child, "Look, I don't have time to baby sit, alright? Go home to your parents; bother them instead of me…"

Just then, there was a rustle in the bushes. Baiken's hand shot to her katana as she turned to see what was coming. Some kind of strange stick with something lumpy atop it was being waved around in the shadows, and it was coming closer. "Rin, what are you doing running off, you know Lord Sesshoumaru doesn't like you to go off on your own!" came a squeaky voice from the woods. As Baiken watched, a tiny green-skinned man dressed in a brown priest's outfit and carrying a long staff burst from the bushes with a perturbed look on his pointed, beak-like face. He had huge, bulbous yellow eyes with sharp vertical slits instead of round pupils, and his staff looked like it had two small heads atop it; one of them resembling a demon, the other the face of a young woman. Baiken gave a yelp of surprise, "Gah, what the hell!" she exclaimed. The little green man skidded to a halt when he noticed Baiken, his bulging eyes blinking in surprise, "Oh! Rin, who is this human you're talking to? She looks like she's dangerous…not to mention a woman of loose morals." The tiny man narrowed his frog-like eyes at Baiken, looking her up and down.

Baiken snarled, "Who are you calling loose, frog face? Stay back kid, I'll squash this little bastard, don't you worry." She snapped her sword from her sheath, slashing at the toad man with the intent of splitting him in half. He screamed and fell back onto his rear, but suddenly Baiken saw a flash of white and heard the clash of steel against steel as her strike was blocked by the blade of another katana. She looked up and found herself gazing into a pair of cold, dispassionate amber eyes. She leaped back, snapping her sword back into her sheath and snarling at the newcomer, "Who the hell are you? And why are you protecting this vile little demon?"

Before her stood a tall, slender man with long, flowing white hair. He was dressed in a red and white kimono and an unusual set of body armour that covered his stomach. Over his right shoulder he wore a strange, furry looking boa that flowed down over his back. His right hand gripped one of two swords he wore at his waist, but his left sleeve appeared to be empty as it flapped slightly in the cool evening breeze. He bore unusual slash marks on his cheeks, and a purple crescent moon on his forehead. He watched Baiken with a cold, unfeeling gaze, and when he spoke, his voice was deep and steady, betraying no emotion, "I am Lord Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands, and this is Jaken, my servant."

Baiken narrowed her eye at Sesshoumaru, watching him carefully, "So…you are…youkai? What else could this little worm be except a demon!"

Rin was about to speak out in protest when Baiken leapt at Sesshoumaru, striking at him with incredible speed. He parried the blow with his own katana, and Baiken felt a strange power coming from it; she knew immediately that it wasn't an ordinary sword. But then, neither was her Kyuushuu Muramasa! She flashed past him, turning and striking out again, deftly handling her sword with her one arm, and striking with incredible power. Although Sesshoumaru didn't show it, he was immediately impressed with her technique and strength. Something else caught his attention, however; the Tensuseiga had reacted to her when she first struck it, giving off a wave of power. Why would it react this way to an ordinary human? Sesshoumaru blocked three more rapid strikes from Baiken, then pushed close to her, the edge of Tensuseiga grinding against the blade of her katana, "Tell me, what is your name, human?" he asked, looking deeply into her one hazel eye.

Baiken growled, pressing against Sesshoumaru's blade, amazed by his immense strength, "I am Senshiro Baiken, and you are about to taste the full power of Garyou Tensei!" Suddenly, she broke free, drawing her sword and spinning it. She dashed forward, holding her sword down across her body, then struck out with a fierce slash, "Tetsuzansen!"

Sesshoumaru leapt to the side, avoiding the strike, then countered with one of his own. Baiken blocked it, then turned slightly and struck back at him with a reverse thrust of her blade. He parried that as well, and she spun around, thrusting her empty sleeve into the ground. A strange curved blade on a chain burst through the ground, zipping up past Sesshoumaru's face, barely missing him as he dodged back. He flashed along, moving with blinding speed as he attempted to move behind her. He leapt at her, slashing his blade overhead with incredible force. Baiken was barely able to block it in time, but she quickly slipped around behind him, slashing with all her strength. Again Sesshoumaru dodged her attack, leaping high into the air above her head. Baiken snarled, wrenching her right shoulder toward him; a long chain shot out of her tattered sleeve, a sharp steel claw attached to its end. Sesshoumaru was caught off guard and the claw slammed into his shoulder, cutting through his flesh. He grunted in pain as Baiken pulled him down with surprising strength and he crashed to the ground.

Sesshoumaru leapt up at her immediately, slashing with lightning speed and precision. Baiken was barely able to parry his attacks as he advanced on her. He flashed around to her side, slamming his knee into her gut and back fisting her in the face. She sailed back and slammed into a tree. Grunting in pain, she looked up just in time to see her opponent rocketing toward her. She raised her sword just in time to deflect his thrust, sending his blade into the trunk of the tree. She grinned, stabbing her sword into the earth and performing a strange gesture with her hand, "Baku Ki!" she exclaimed, pressing her first two fingertips against Sesshoumaru's forehead.

He gasped, his eyes going wide as he felt a bizarre, sickly feeling wash over him. Baiken kicked him hard in the stomach and he fell backward slightly. Wrenching her katana from the dirt, she rolled away, assuming a fighting stance. She clicked the blade back into its sheath and smirked at him, "You're a speedy one, but that ought to slow you down a little."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at her, pulling Tensuseiga from the tree trunk, "What are you talking about, human?" Baiken laughed, "Come get me, and you'll see…" she said with a smile, her hazel eye sparkling in the moonlight. Sesshoumaru bent his knees slightly, then lurched forward as if to leap at her, but stopped. He found himself unable to raise his feet off the ground. It was a spell of earth binding! So the human was a sorceress, as well as a skilled fighter…intriguing.

Sesshoumaru's face regained its usual dispassionate expression, "Very well, I don't need my full movement ability to defeat you." He shuffled along the ground, finding he could slide his feet even though he couldn't raise them up. Baiken kept her hand over the hilt of her sword, watching him carefully, "Time to finish this!" she yelled, dashing forward with incredible speed. Sesshoumaru readied himself, shifting his weight slightly just as Baiken flashed her blade out to strike a fatal blow. She whipped past him, stopping a few feet away with her back to him. A frozen moment passed, silent except for the soft chirping of nearby crickets.

"B..bastard…" she groaned; she had felt his blade rip through her body, nearly cutting her in half. She fell to the ground, dropping her sword.

Sesshoumaru stood motionless for a moment. Suddenly, a spurt of blood burst from his side, staining his kimono. He fell back, stumbling slightly and sinking to his knees as he supported himself on his sword. Jaken and Rin, who had been watching the fight in total awe, yelped in shock as they saw he was injured, and ran to his side. "Oh, Lord Sesshoumaru, are you alright? How is this possible! A mere human…" Jaken stopped himself short, his eyes widening in fear as he realized he was insulting his master. To his surprise, Sesshoumaru's lips curled into a very slight smile, "It's only a flesh wound, Jaken, you needn't be concerned." Jaken nodded, "Of course, master! No mere human could hurt the mighty Sesshoumaru!" he said quickly. Suddenly, he noticed something, "Master…isn't that the Tensuseiga you're holding? But that means…why would you fight her with a sword that can't kill?"

Baiken blinked, a look of bewilderment on her face. She wasn't dead. She distinctly felt the blade of his sword slice right through her body, but strangely she felt no pain. She waited for her vision to fade to black, but she remained fully conscious. How was it possible she was still alive?

"You can get up now…I'm afraid this sword is quite useless for killing."

She raised herself up onto her knees and found Sesshoumaru standing over her, his hand extended to her. She looked at him, then down at her kimono; there was no blood at all, no wound. Somehow, she was completely unharmed. "What the hell is this? Some kind of stupid joke?" she asked, standing up without taking his hand and slipping her katana back into its sheath.

Sesshoumaru lowered his hand, gazing coldly at her, "The sword I struck you with, the Tensuseiga, is a sword of healing…it cannot kill." Rin, who was hugging Sesshoumaru's legs, nodded to Baiken, "Yes! Lord Sesshoumaru brought me back to life with it!"

Baiken scratched her head slightly, looking very confused. She frowned at him, "Bah, what an insult! Fighting me with a useless sword like that…" she made another gesture with her hand, touching his chest. Sesshoumaru grabbed her wrist, "What are you doing?" he asked. She grimaced, "You want to be stuck to the ground for the rest of your life, demon?" Immediately, she felt his fierce grip on her wrist slacken, for which she was inwardly grateful. His fingertips lingered a moment as he looked into her eye, but he then dropped his hand. Baiken snorted at him, then knelt down, looking at Rin, "Hey, kid…sorry if I scared you, okay?" she said, her gruff voice taking on a surprisingly soft tone, "No hard feelings?"

Rin grinned and jumped at her, wrapping her arms around Baiken's neck, "I like you!" she said happily. Baiken lurched back slightly, then stopped, patting Rin's back, "Yeah, yeah…okay." Rin let go and Baiken rose to her feet again. She and Sesshoumaru gazed at one another for a long moment, studying each other as Jaken and Rin looked on. At length, Baiken simply turned around and started to walk away.

"Stop," Sesshoumaru commanded, "I wish for you to stay. You will stay here."

Baiken stopped, but did not turn around; her hand rested on the hilt of her katana, as if she were ready for another fight. She said nothing, but turned her head slightly toward him.

"Please," he added, saying the word quietly. Baiken turned around fully, looking at him. She walked up to him, staring into his cold yellow eyes. "Yeah, okay," she said simply. Sesshoumaru turned around and began walking, and Baiken fell in step beside him, leaving a bewildered Jaken and smiling Rin in their wake.

"Did he just say please to a mortal?" Jaken asked, looking at Rin with total astonishment. Rin just giggled and ran after them, leaving Jaken clutching his staff and looking completely at a loss. He shook his head, and then dashed after Rin as fast as his short legs could carry him, "Wait for me!"

A short while later, Sesshoumaru and Baiken sat opposite one another around a crackling campfire. Nearby, sheltered in a cave, Rin was curled in the furry white boa Sesshoumaru habitually wore while Jaken stood a vigilant watch over her. Baiken sat cross legged, her katana propped against the tree at her back, while Sesshoumaru sat rigidly on a log. He watched her carefully, studying the features of her face as she watched the flames dance. Humans were so far beneath him, so irrational and sentimental, so frail and weak. But this one, this human was different. Something about her piqued his interest, and for some reason he found himself wanting to know more about her. Not the least reason for his interest was the strange reaction Tensuseiga had to her attack; why did it react to her at all? He had to know.

"Tell me, where do you come from?" Sesshoumaru asked, breaking the silence.

"It's not where. It's when."

He furrowed his brow, narrowing his eyes at her, "What?"

"I come from the future." Baiken replied simply, looking up at him. Sesshoumaru regarded her carefully as she continued, "I'm not sure what year this is exactly, but I come from a few hundred years in the future. I came here through that well that's a little ways from where we met."

Sesshoumaru nodded, "Like that girl…Kagome…do you come from the same time as her?" he asked. Baiken shook her head, "I doubt it. If she came through the well, too, then she can't be from my time."

Sesshoumaru leaned forward slightly, resting his forearm over his knee, "Why is that?"

Baiken looked up into his eyes, then down into the fire, "Because in my time, Japan is destroyed and the Japanese race is all but extinct…" If Sesshoumaru was surprised, his face didn't show it much; he continued to watch her face carefully, "How?" he asked pointedly, his voice calm and even.

The light of the flames danced over Baiken's features as her face took on a grim expression. She began to speak in a low, steady tone as the painful memories of her childhood began to flood back to her once again, "In the year 2073, an evil man will launch an attack on Japan using a bioweapon he will create, a race of killing machines known as Gears. This action will spark a war that will last for a hundred years, and will end only with the sealing of the ultimate Gear, a blasphemous creature named Justice, in a dimensional prison."

Sesshoumaru tilted his head slightly, "So then, you were one of the survivors of the attack on Japan?" Baiken shook her head, "No, the destruction of Japan happened before I was born. My family lived in so called 'Japanese Protection Colonies' during the crusades. When I was a small child, _that man_ came with his Gears and they slaughtered my family…they took my eye and my arm, but I managed to survive. From that day onward, that man's face has been burned into my mind, and I have dedicated my life to his destruction. I learned the art of Garyou Tensei and trained myself for the day I would finally face him, and kill him…"

Nearby, Jaken strained to hear what his master and his new human companion were saying. He fussed, not wanting to move, but desperately wanting to know what could possibly be so special about this human that the great Sesshoumaru should pay her such attention.

"What are they saying, Jaken?"

The little toad nearly jumped from his skin as Rin clapped her hands over his shoulders and spoke into his ear. He gave a little yelp of surprise and turned around to face her, "Shhhh! You should be sleeping! Do you want Lord Sesshoumaru to hear you and punish us for disobeying him?" Rin simply giggled, smiling at Jaken, "I just wanted to know more about her. Don't you?" Jaken sighed, waving her back to bed, "No, I have no interest in silly humans. Now go back to bed before you get both of us in hot water!" Rin giggled again and skipped back to the warm, white fur boa that was her bed and jumped onto it. "Goodnight Jaken!" The little demon sighed and narrowed his eyes at Rin. He never understood why his master bothered to keep her around; she was so impetuous! He turned around and leaned on his staff, watching the pair sitting by the fire and feeling, as usual, very left out.

"So then, why are you here?" Sesshoumaru asked, leaning back slightly and resting his palm over his thigh as he shifted his gaze from Baiken to the fire.

"I didn't mean to come here…I heard about the well, that it was a gateway to the past, and I hoped to travel back in time to kill that man before he could create the Gears…" She sighed slightly, running her fingers through her long red hair, "I failed…I ended up here, hundreds of years before he was born. I can't change the past…I can't change anything." Baiken sighed, leaning back against the tree and tugging a long blade of grass from beside her, slipping it into her mouth. She chewed it thoughtfully, watching the flames dance and shiver. At length she broke the silence, "What's your story?" she asked, not bothering to look up.

Sesshoumaru started back slightly, taken off guard by the pointed question, "What do you mean?" he asked quickly. Baiken pointed to his left shoulder, "You and I have something in common, yeah? What happened to your arm?"

Sesshoumaru frowned, looking back at the fire, "None of your business, human."

Baiken grinned and snorted, "Embarrassed about it, huh? Heheh." Sesshoumaru sneered at her, bearing his fangs, "How dare you?" Baiken laughed, slapping her thigh, "Oh please, spare me the high and mighty act. Someone beat you and cut your arm off, and it hurt your pride worse than anything else. It's written all over you, so come on, out with it."

Sesshoumaru felt his anger rising, though he managed to keep it mostly concealed. He averted his eyes from hers, staring at the fire as he spoke, "My half brother, Inu Yasha…a miserable half breed. He severed my arm with Tetsusaiga, a sword given to him by my father, a sword which should rightly belong to me!" he didn't notice, but as he spoke, Sesshoumaru had clenched his fist tightly. It didn't escape Baiken's notice, however, and she pressed the issue, hoping to break the carefully constructed façade of cold calculation he wore, "Sibling rivalry, hmm? Sounds like you're jealous of him."

At that word, Sesshoumaru shot her a look as cold as ice, "Envy is a weak human emotion. Even if I could feel it, what would I have to be jealous about? Inu Yasha is a pitiful half demon, nothing compared to true Youkai like myself!"

Baiken smiled at him, chewing nonchalantly on the blade of grass that hung from her lips, "Well, obviously he was tough enough to slice your arm off, hmm? And you're a pretty rough customer; I imagine he must be amazing." Sesshoumaru was snarling visibly now, his fist clenched tightly in anger; Baiken smiled wider, knowing she was getting to him. "So daddy gave him a better toy, and you're just pissed because you can't have it. Sounds pretty childish to me."

Sesshoumaru fumed with rage; how dare this impertinent human insult him like this? It was an outrage! He leapt to his feet, raising his claws, intent on slashing her to pieces, "HOW DARE YOU! I….AGHNNGH…!" A sharp pain shot through his body and he fell to his knees, clutching his side in agony. Blood seeped through his kimono, staining his fingers and dripping into the dirt.

Without a word, Baiken rose to her knees, spitting out the blade of grass and laying her hand over his shoulder. He hissed, raising his face and bearing his fangs as his eyes turned red, but to his surprise she showed no fear; when she spoke, her voice was gentle and soothing, "Be careful, that wound needs to be dressed or you'll make it worse." His eyes faded to their normal color and he looked away, "Don't touch me; I don't need your help." Baiken was undeterred, however, and she moved closer, gently pushing him back so that he was sitting against the log, "Shh, just relax and let me take care of this." He found himself doing as he was told, and was inwardly astonished, though outwardly his features took on their usual dispassionate expression. He watched as Baiken gently opened his kimono and slid it down and off his arm, exposing the gash in his side. It was bleeding badly and was quite deep.

"I'm going to need your help with this…two arms are better than one, hmm?" Baiken said with a smile. Sesshoumaru nodded. Taking a clean rag from inside her kimono, Baiken gently dabbed the blood from around the wound, ensuring no dirt got inside. He was surprised to find how careful and soft her touch was, given the great strength she possessed in her single arm. Placing the rag against the wound, she instructed him to hold it tightly in place. He did so, and she tore a strip off her tattered, empty sleeve. "So, why did you use that sword of yours when you knew it couldn't hurt me?" she asked without looking up from her work. Sesshoumaru watched her dexterous fingers as she worked, thinking how delicate and small they were, "I saw no reason why you should die for wanting to protect Rin, even if you were misguided."

Baiken smiled a little at that as she passed the bandage around his torso, noticing the firm muscles of his chest and abs as she did so, "She mentioned that you raised her from the dead with that Tensuseiga of yours. How did that come about?"

Sesshoumaru turned his head, watching the fire again, though he also happened to glance back to the cave where Rin lay sleeping. He lifted his hand so that Baiken could slide the bandage around and tie it firmly in place, "I was nearly killed in a battle with Inu Yasha…Rin came upon me in the woods where I was recovering, and she left food and water for me, as pointless as that was for a demon. She could not speak, but she kept coming and leaving her offerings. Once she came and was injured, bruised and swollen. Later, once I had recovered, I came upon her body in the woods…she had been mauled by wolves and killed…"

Finishing the dressing, Baiken sat back, but remained close as she listened to the story. Sesshoumaru continued, "Something compelled me to draw my Tensuseiga and banish the messengers of the underworld that had come to claim her, and in so doing I brought her back to life, healing her wounds completely."

"What made you do it? Why bother with such an insignificant human?" Baiken's question was deliberately pointed; she suspected she already knew the answer, but that perhaps Sesshoumaru did not. He glanced at her, leaning back against the log and relaxing slightly, "Because I wanted to," he replied coolly.

Baiken turned and leaned against the log, sitting close beside Sesshoumaru as she leaned her head back, looking up at the night sky. She watched the bright, twinkling stars for a moment, "So Tensuseiga was also a gift from your father? A companion sword to your brother's Tetsusaiga?"

"Yes, the swords were forged from my father's own fangs. The Tetsusaiga possesses the power to slay a hundred demons in a single swing, while the Tensuseiga holds the power to save a hundred lives in a single swing. Our father must have wanted to mock me by giving my worthless half-breed brother the mighty Tetsusaiga and me the worthless Tensuseiga. It was a cruel joke indeed."

Baiken chuckled, "I wouldn't be so sure of that." She smiled, sliding her arm up and letting it drape over the log as she stretched her legs out onto the grass, "He sounds like he was a very clever demon. Very wise." Silence followed, and Baiken let her eye slip closed. She remained that way for a long time, listening to the sounds of the crackling fire and the chirping of the crickets, even Sesshoumaru's measured breathing. He turned his head, looking at her for a long time, but saying nothing. Finally she spoke, "So, what is it you have against us humans?"

Caught off guard, Sesshoumaru remained silent rather than fumble for an answer; he was somewhat surprised to find that having been asked the question directly, he had no real answer to it, at least nothing that sounded truly justified in his mind. Baiken continued, "Your father loved a human, I suppose. It seems he loved his half human son, as well, isn't that so?"

Still he remained silent, watching her speak, gazing at the subtle curves of her face and her lithe, toned body. "Do you ever consider that perhaps you aren't so different from him, or even Inu Yasha?"

"I am nothing like Inu Yasha."

"Enough like your father to feel compassion for a human," Baiken said, opening her eye and looking directly into his, "maybe you and Inu Yasha also have more in common than you think."

Sesshoumaru looked away, "I don't…" he trailed off, knowing that the lie he was about to tell was a pointless one. He glanced again to the cave where Jaken stood watch over the sleeping Rin, then looked back to the dying embers of the fire. Baiken smirked slightly, "Hmm."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The sun broke through the trees, shimmering in the dew of the early morning just as Inu Yasha blinked his eyes and sat up. Another night spent in the woods, another crick in his neck. He sighed a little, cracking his neck from side to side. He took a quick, furtive look around to ensure he was alone before getting down on all fours, stretching out his back and scratching at his left ear with his foot. It was just then that his ear perked at the sound of Kagome's melodious giggling, a sound that at once enticed and infuriated him. He jumped back, sneering a little, "What's so darned funny, huh?"

Kagome stood a few feet away, her raven hair blowing softly in the morning breeze, falling in little wisps around her face. She clasped her hands in front of her, smiling at him the way she sometimes did when he amused her, "It's funny when you do that…kinda cute."

Inu Yasha snorted, crossing his arms and turning away from her, "Whatever…I just had an itch, okay? Lay off me!"

"I can see that Inu Yasha is his usual courteous self this morning."

Miroku's voice broke in as he stepped up beside Kagome, accompanied by Sango. Shippou sat on her shoulder, munching happily on a rice cake.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before. Let's just get going okay?" He turned back to Kagome, risking another brief glance at her; she was so beautiful standing there, flooded with the morning light, the breeze in her hair. He could smell her, the way he always could, the sweet, subtle scent that always surrounded her. It wasn't fair for her to look at him that way, not at all. He quickly turned away and started walking, his bare feet padding silently along the forest path.

The birds sang sweetly in the trees as the breath of spring flooded the woods. The world seemed full of life, so happy and bright. He was almost tempted to believe that maybe things would be alright, that maybe in the end there could be some happiness for him and Kagome and that maybe he might get the second chance he secretly longed for, but Inu Yasha had seen too much to really give in to such daydreams. Still, the scent of cherry blossoms in the air had a way of reminding him of a spring fifty years prior, dredging up the bittersweet memory of when he'd first met Kikyou.

Before Kikyou, he always believed he needed to become fully demonic, to purge himself of the taint of human weakness. Being a half breed had brought him nothing but pain and solitude. Until the day he met Kikyou, things were simple for him, but after that, his life was anything but.

He still remembered the way she looked at him, that look of sadness and unspoken yearning. He still remembered the way her body felt in his arms, the way her lips trembled just a bit before she spoke his name…

"Inu Yasha!"

Giving a little yelp, the half-demon winced, being pulled sideways; Kagome had grabbed his ear and given a tug, breaking his concentration. He growled softly, "What! Let go of my ear!" he protested weakly.

"What's the deal with you? You've been zoned out for the past few minutes! Do you even know where you're going?" Kagome asked, her voice scolding, but not so much as to hide the concern that underlay it. Sometimes he wondered if she knew; if she sensed the feelings he still harbored for Kikyou. He shook his head, "I guess it doesn't matter where we go…Naraku hasn't been up to much lately it seems…I figure he'll slink from whatever rock he's hiding under sooner or later…he always does."

It was just then that Shippou swallowed the last of his rice ball and piped up, "Hey, why don't we visit the nearest village, I'm hungry!"

Sango smiled, glancing sideways at the little kitsune on her shoulder, "But you just finished eating…don't you ever stop?" she asked with a smirk. Shippou pouted a little, "I can't help if I'm hungry! I'm a growing boy you know!"

Miroku chuckled softly, "What say you, Inu Yasha? You said it yourself, Naraku has been scarce lately. Maybe we should all find a village with a nice spa, get some food and relax a little. Maybe find some pretty Geishas…."

Sango sneered a little at the last comment, crossing her arms, "You never change. Letcher."

Inu Yasha snorted, shooting Miroku a look of disgust, "You really have a one track mind…" Miroku was undeterred. He stepped up beside Inu Yasha, leaning close to whisper in his ear, "Well, it might give you a chance to be alone with Kagome for a while…maybe even tell her how you feel about her."

Inu Yasha blushed bright red, hissing back sharply, "What makes you think I have anything to tell her? It's none of your business anyways!"

Miroku smiled, piping up, "I hear there's a festival to celebrate the coming of spring in a village not far from here. There's a lantern dance and plenty of good food to go around. I think we deserve a rest. Also, I think Sango and Kagome would look very beautiful dressed in their good kimonos." He sent a glance and a smile back to the pair of women behind him, hoping to gain their aid in convincing the stubborn half-demon to give in.

Kagome blushed a little, "Well…since you put it that way…" Sango looked incredulously at Miroku, then at Kagome, "You know he's only trying to sucker us so he can chase after women again…"

Inu Yasha's eyebrow twitched slightly. He couldn't help but picture Kagome in a close fitting traditional kimono, smiling at him and fanning herself alluringly. He shook his head, trying to shake the persistent image, "Okay, okay…let's go. I guess it won't make a difference if we take a night off from killing monsters…"

The sun had nearly set in the west when the companions entered the village. They were met almost immediately by several village women who jovially welcomed them each with a dish of sake. Miroku grinned, bowing graciously to them, "Thank you, ladies! I…err…we look forward to enjoying your hospitality." Sango nudged Miroku sharply in the side with her elbow, then took Kagome by the arm, "Come on Kagome, we need to get changed for tonight." Kagome giggled and followed along, leaving Miroku, Shippou and Inu Yasha standing in the square amid the bustling villagers as they prepared for the festival. Miroku smiled, clapping his palm over Inu Yasha's shoulder, "My friend, tonight is the night you learn the secret of being irresistible to women."

Inu Yasha sneered, looking at Miroku incredulously, "Would that be the so called 'secret' that makes them constantly slap you in the face?" he asked sarcastically. Shippou chuckled, "You haven't been all that successful with Sango, Miroku…every time you get close to her, you blow it by fondling her butt!" Shippou crossed his arms, nodding and looking very serious.

Miroku grinned awkwardly, "Oh, that…that's just her way of showing her affection…heh...anyways, this is about you and Kagome, Inu Yasha. Tonight you're going to sweep her off her feet!"

"Why would I want to knock her down?"

Miroku shook his head, "Clearly we have a lot of work to do…let's get started." He clapped Inu Yasha on the back, leading him away toward some nearby shops just opening for business, their proprietors lighting their paper lanterns as the twilight began creeping across the evening sky.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The fireflies danced merrily to the pulsing beat of the drummers' rhythm as the bright springtime moon shone high overhead. All around the blazing fire in the center of town, the jubilant townsfolk skipped along to the tune of the lantern dance. InuYasha stood at the periphery of it and marveled at the spectacle; as a child, he had always been shunned by the people of the village where he and his mother resided after his father's death, so he never took part in such festivals. The people looked so happy to him, so thankful for the lives they lived, hard as they might be.

He glanced over at Kagome; she was more radiant than the blazing bonfire that sent shadows weaving and dancing on the walls of the little huts. She wore a lovely Kimono that the village headman's wife had kindly lent her for the occasion. Sango too, looked beautiful dressed in her kimono, her hair let down as she danced along with Miroku, who uncharacteristically wasn't attempting to grope her behind. Not far from the dancing, Shippou sat happily on a basket and nibbled on a large Lollipop Kagome had brought for him.

"Kagome!" Sango called out jovially, "Come dance with us! Get InuYasha out here!"

Kagome giggled and waved to Sango, who was pirouetting gracefully, much to the delight of Miroku. She slipped her hand into InuYasha's and flashed him a mischievous smile. He blushed as she dragged him into the dance despite his half-hearted protests.

She was incredibly beautiful, completely intoxicating. Once again he found himself powerless to refuse her. There were times he wished he could express to her just exactly how he felt, but somehow his attempts so often seemed to fall short. For now he just resigned himself to the moment, dancing along with her as best he could, and being grateful just to see the happiness flashing in her eyes as she gazed back at him. A few of the young men in the village cheered at him, slapping him on the back as they danced by. He furrowed his brow, shooting a sharp whisper to Miroku as he passed, "Hey, what's the deal…howcome these people are so friendly to us?"

Mirkou smiled, "Seems a lot of these people have heard of us…turns out we saved some relatives of rather influential villagers from demons not too long ago. They've heard stories of the demon in red who defends humans with his fang-sword. You're famous here, InuYasha!"

Famous? He'd never been anything besides infamous in his life; reviled and shunned at best, hated and hunted at worst. How could it be these people accepted him so readily? It was an entirely foreign feeling.

As the music died down and the dance ended, Kagome hugged InuYasha and held him close. She smiled up at him, unabashed affection shimmering in her dark eyes. The giddy atmosphere of the occasion made her forget her shyness, and he didn't mind in the least. He ran his fingers through her sable hair and slid his arm around her, forgetting everything but how much he adored her at that moment. For fear of kissing her right then and there, in front of everyone, he turned and walked from the square toward where Miroku and Sango sat resting from their dance, "You hungry?" he asked Kagome, trying to divert his mind from the intense feelings she stirred in him.

She shook her head, "No, I'm fine tha…"

Suddenly her words were interrupted as a young girl came dashing along, giggling furiously as her friends chased her, and ran smack into InuYasha's leg. She let out a little cry and instinctively grasped onto his billowy crimson pant leg. Blinking in surprise, she turned her face up to look at him. Her friends, sensing trouble, dashed off and hid immediately. InuYasha tilted his head, looking at her quizzically, and not without a little annoyance. As he watched, the little girl's face lit up with a broad, toothy grin, "You're the Good Red Demon!" she squealed happily, "I know all the stories about you, how you save people and kill the bad demons with your big sword! Can you tell me your name, Mr. Demon?"

InuYasha blinked, rather taken aback by the child's forwardness. He knelt down and looker her over, "Aren't you scared of me, knowing I'm half demon?" The girl shook her head, her broad grin never fading, "I know you're a good guy! And I like your cute ears!" she said happily. InuYasha frowned and Kagome giggled. At length he said, "My name's InuYasha. What's your name?"

"Haruna!"

"That's a pretty name." Kagome said with a smile.

Just then, a woman came along, calling out Haruna's name as she looked around for her daughter. She stopped short when she noticed the girl standing before a kneeling InuYasha. She gasped a little and ran forward, grabbing the girl and lifting her up as she backed away a step. InuYasha looked up at her, and then looked away, knowing what would come next. Maybe the child might be too naive to fear him, but her mother would never really see him as anything but a monster.

"Forgive her, Lord InuYasha, she forgets herself; she is only a child…I hope she hasn't offended you…" the fear in the woman's voice was obvious. InuYasha stood up, looking away slightly, "It's okay, she didn't do anything wrong."

The woman seemed to hesitate, and Haruna broke in, "He's nice, mommy! He kills the bad demons, so he wouldn't hurt you." The girl smiled, looking up at her mother, who held her close in her arms. Kagome looked on, feeling awkward but not knowing what to do or say. At length, the woman spoke again, "I've heard about you, Lord InuYasha…from some of my cousins who live on the coast…they say you stood alone against an army of demons and stopped them from destroying their village…"

InuYasha said nothing, just looked down at the dirt as he listened. She continued, "I…I believe you have a good heart…demon or not. Thank you for what you've done for us…in these times, it's hard to find heroes to believe in, but Haruna believes in you, and for that I thank you with all my heart."

The woman bowed respectfully as InuYasha looked on in awe. She quickly retreated with Haruna waving over her shoulder as they disappeared into the shadows. He felt Kagome squeeze his hand and move a little closer to him. InuYasha blushed a little bit and turned his face away, "That was weird…" he said offhandedly, trying to brush it off.

"Let's go to the hill and sit under the cherry tree, the fireworks are about to start! We'll get the best view from there." Kagome said excitedly, deftly changing the subject. InuYasha nodded, "Okay…"

She dashed ahead, pulling him along up the hill toward the lone cherry tree that stood at the top, its pink blossoms swaying faintly in the gentle evening breeze. Kagome dashed up and sat down at the base of the tree, half kneeling with her dainty feet tucked in beside her. InuYasha followed along and sat down close to her, grasping his Tetsusaiga and letting the hilt rest over his shoulder as he habitually did. He breathed a sigh and leaned back against the tree, looking up at the sky as the first of the fireworks burst overhead, showering the night sky above the village with brilliant red streaks of fire. After a moment, he felt Kagome's head come to rest on his shoulder, and her small hand find its way to his, their fingers instinctively entwining.

"It really has turned out to be an incredible day, hasn't it…?" Kagome mused after a time, her dark eyes cast skyward to watch the spectacle of brilliant light and color that exploded over their heads.

"Yeah…" InuYasha conceded, smiling a little bit to himself as he realized he hadn't really had a day like this, a day when he could let himself go and just enjoy his life for once, since he was with Kikyou so long ago. The thought of her sent a pang of guilt running through him. He had loved her with all his heart, and meant every word, every promise he ever made to her, but at this moment he knew he loved Kagome even more; his conscience told him it was a betrayal. He rested his head gently against hers as he let out a sigh, letting his eyes slip closed as he drank in her heady scent and listened to the sound of her heartbeat that became faintly audible to his sensitive ears as the thunder of the fireworks died away.

A long time passed in comfortable silence as they sat beneath the cherry blossoms, the fingers of the cool evening breeze playing among the strands of their hair. "Kagome…" InuYasha began, turning to face her slightly and opening his golden hued eyes. She turned to face him, half nestled in his embrace, but when her dark eyes met his gaze, all words left him. He knew a better way to say what he wanted to…

He bowed his head, kissing her lips gently and letting the kiss linger. Kagome's eyes went wide for a moment, but only briefly before she surrendered to his kiss, feeling his fingertips entwine in her sable hair as he caressed her cheek. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest as her lips caressed his in a brief and tender kiss that was all too fleeting, yet more eloquent than a thousand poetic words were capable of being. Then it was over, and her lips hovered a breath away from his.

He blushed and looked away, smiling slightly in embarrassment, "I…I'm sorry…I shouldn't have just…" His words were cut off as Kagome threw her arms around him and squeezed him tightly against her, her head resting just beneath his chin. He blinked in surprise for a moment before his fingertips found their way to her hair once more, stroking softly through the strands as his other arm wrapped around her, holding her close. He let his eyes slip closed; nothinhg more needed to be said or done. It was enough just to hold her.

The sounds of the festival began to fade into the night and the lamp lights dimmed as Kagome and InuYasha drifted asleep in one another's arms.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

A foul wind jarred InuYasha from his unusually peaceful sleep. He started up quickly, grasping onto Kagome tightly as though to keep her from falling from some treacherous, dream-conjured precipice. She stirred in his embrace, her eyes fluttering open. The initial icy clutch of dread in his heart melted away, but still something wasn't right. Something vaguely unsettling nagged at his senses, something faintly repugnant…blood. The scent of human blood wafted on the morning breeze, and it became more pungent with each passing moment. He sat up and sniffed the air, satisfied that Kagome was safe, but knowing without a doubt now that something was wrong.

"Oh no…no…not here…it can't be!" InuYasha stammered as Kagome rubbed the sleep from her eyes, kneeling beside him and placing her hand gently over his shoulder. "What is it…?" she asked. Then she saw it; the village spread out below them at the base of the hill was a sea of unimaginable carnage. They could see the lanes between the houses littered with the torn and shredded bodies of the villagers that had welcomed them into their midst only the previous night. Rivulets of blood flowed along the ground, staining the earth with crimson, and many of the huts were burnt to ashes, and others still burned. Kagome brought her hand to her mouth with a cry, stifling the scream of horror that would have shattered the deathly stillness that had fallen over the village.

"NOOO!" InuYasha roared, leaping from beneath the tree and dashing headlong down the grassy hill. "InuYasha!" Kagome yelled after him, stumbling to her feet and chasing after him. Their cries awakened Sango, Miroku and Shippou who slept beside Kilala nearby.

"Kagome!" Miroku yelled in surprise as the pair ran down the hill, "What's going on?" Quickly gathering up Sango and the others, he joined InuYasha and Kagome as they entered the blood soaked village square.

The village was awash in a flood of crimson that seeped into the earth and made it soft and sticky. Everywhere the mutilated bodies of villagers were strewn and piled about, their flesh torn and mangled, often torn apart and their limbs scattered. A thick pall of sickly-sweet ichor hung over the village, its smell so strong that InuYasha wretched, half out of horror and half out of nausea, upon entering the village.

He could feel the blood seeping between his toes as he sloshed among the corpses in his bare feet, his eyes wide as he recognized the terror stricken faces of the people who had accepted him so openly and so willingly the previous evening, their visages frozen in silent screams of agonized death. Kagome shivered in revulsion at the horrific scene, clutching onto InuYasha's arm and burying her face into his sleeve when it became too much to bear. She could feel him trembling, swaying a bit as the sheer, unfathomable horror of the reality sunk in.

Miroku shielded Shippou from the carnage, holding the little fox demon against his robes so he couldn't see the piles of corpses and rivers of blood. Sango gasped, her voice nearly stolen away by the magnitude of the slaughter, "Oh Miroku…who..who could do this? Why?" The monk could only shake his head in disbelief, having never seen something so malevolent in his life, "I…I don't know. I've seen slaughter before…battles and slain villagers, but…but nothing quite like this…"

InuYasha's mind reeled as he saw the laughing, smiling faces of the villagers played back in his mind's eye, superimposed over the blood soaked butchery spread out before him like the landscape of a nightmare. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen plenty of dead humans and slaughtered villagers before, that was nothing new to him; but this was different; he knew these people, and they had accepted him without hesitation, taken him in to their home and treated him as an equal, not just a half-breed demon to be hated and feared. This struck at his core and he fell to his knees in the pool of mingled blood, feeling like vomiting from the awful, overpowering stench of blood and the feeling of rage and guilt that was boiling inside his gut. Why the hell didn't he hear their screams? How could he possibly sleep through this slaughter? He could have stopped this if only he hadn't been sleeping like a baby under the tree with Kagome…WHY?

Just then, out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of white, a billowy, flowing white that contrasted against the sea of red. He slowly looked up to see Sesshoumaru standing near the other side of the village, his cold, emotionless eyes scanning over the scene. Beside him stood a young human woman, her wild red hair tied back in a long ponytail. She wore a black and white kimono that flapped in the breeze, and like Sesshoumaru, she appeared to be missing one of her arms, her right sleeve hanging empty at her side. She was missing her left eye as well, her closed eyelid crossed by a long vertical scar. At her waist she wore a katana tied into a blood red obi, and her face bore a cold, grim expression. Sesshoumaru's armour and kimono were stained in blood, a long streak of crimson spattered across his chest and running down his leg. InuYasha felt an otherworldly fury rising inside him. Had Sesshoumaru murdered all these people? Did he kill them all just to get to him?

"SESSHOUMARU!" InuYasha bellowed at his half brother. The youkai turned and gazed dispassionately at the kneeling half demon. He began to walk toward his younger brother, his feet sloshing disgustingly in the sopping, blood soaked earth, "InuYasha…what do you want with me, miserable half breed? Have you lost control of yourself again and made a mess?" Sesshoumaru asked condescendingly, his voice void of emotion.

InuYasha's vision reddened around the edges; he fumed with rage, his fists clenching so tightly his knuckles flushed white and the blood coating his palms squeezed out and dripped from his hands, "You stinking bastard…you killed them all, for NOTHING!" He was visibly shaking now, and Kagome stepped back from him; she had never seen him like this before. He was exuding an aura of pure hatred and wrath, his voice dripping with vengeful malice.

Sesshoumaru smirked, "And even if I had, what do you think you could do about it, you sanctimonious, half-blooded vermin?"

InuYasha stood up and snarled, raising his face to Sesshoumaru; the half demon's eyes had turned blood red and the violet markings had appeared on his face. He looked just as he did when his demonic nature took over, yet something was different this time. The smell of full demon blood had not washed over him, and the power he was giving off was not that of his full demon form. Instead he was enshrouded in a feeling of pure, unadulterated wrath and vengefulness, like a coiled snake preparing to strike. He drew his Tetsusaiga with one hand and pointed the blade at Sesshoumaru, "You will SUFFER for this, Sesshoumaru…"

Sesshoumaru barely had time to fully draw his Tokijin before he felt the blade of Tetsusaiga slam against it, pushing him back. He strained against the incredible strength his half brother was exerting, hard pressed to hold him back. Sidestepping, Sesshoumaru deflected Tetsusaiga and slashed at his brother's neck. His strike cut through empty air as InuYasha dipped down in a flash and slammed the hilt of his sword into Sesshoumaru's gut; the proud demon bent double, his eyes wide with bewilderment as the sword handle rammed painfully deep, twisting up his innards. InuYasha followed the strike with a vicious slash intended to split Sesshoumaru from groin to head, which Sesshoumaru narrowly avoided. How the hell could this happen? InuYasha had never moved like this before!

"DIE YOU BASTARD!" InuYasha roared, weaving and striking rapidly with his blade, fighting like a wild beast, his movements so swift and forceful that Sesshoumaru could barely keep up. The sound of clashing steel rang through the ruined village as Sesshoumaru was beaten back. Suddenly, InuYasha twisted his Tetsusaiga around Tokijin and wrenched it aside, sending his brother's blade sailing through the air until it embedded itself uselessly in the earth a few feet away.

Barely an instant passed before Sesshoumaru felt InuYasha's fingers wrap around his face with crushing strength, strength he would never have dreamed his half-breed brother possessed. The half demon roared with fury and lifted Sesshoumaru off his feet, slamming his head savagely into the ground and wrenching his neck until he was forced to look into the cold, dead eyes of a murdered child. She was no older than Rin, her skin a pale, chalky white, her eyes dead and staring, and her mouth frozen in a scream of agony. "LOOK AT WHAT YOU'VE DONE, YOU SON OF A BITCH! TAKE A GOOD LOOK BEFORE YOU DIE!" InuYasha roared, raising his Tetsusaiga, the curved blade pointed directly at Sesshoumaru's heart.

"ENOUGH!" Sesshoumaru snarled, his eyes burning red as he strained to look up into the hate contorted face of his brother, "I DID NOT KILL THEM!" InuYasha paused a moment, taken by surprise at the agony in Sesshoumaru's voice. That moment of indecision was all that was needed; in a flash of blinding speed, Baiken appeared at InuYasha's side, her blade pressed against his throat. A breathless moment passed, and Kagome's heart sank into her gut; she felt certain she was about to watch InuYasha die.

The half-demon's blood red eyes flashed to Baiken, meeting her calm gaze. She knew the hate and the rage that boiled behind those eyes, knew the pain that fueled his blood thirsty fury. He snarled at her, but did not move, plainly aware of the stalemate he was in, "Go ahead and kill me..." he growled, "I'll be sure to take this son of a bitch with me to Hell." Bakien's gaze never wavered as her cold steel rested a half a hair's breadth from bathing in InuYasha's life's blood, her body an immutable rock in the sea of fury that raged around her, threatening to engulf them all, "I don't want to kill you, idiot!...and I don't want you to kill Sesshoumaru. He didn't kill any of these people; I know because I was with him last night…when we arrived here everyone was already dead."

InuYasha hesitated, his furious gaze locked on Baiken's one remaining eye, "You're lying...you're only trying to cover for him...he's soaked in their blood, HE REEKS OF IT!" Baiken shook her head, "Listen to me! A woman from the village came along the path toward us, and when she got close to Sesshoumaru she…she burst apart and he was soaked in her blood…I swear to you on my family's honor that Sesshoumaru is innocent!"

Sesshoumaru's gaze shifted to Baiken. Did he hear her correctly? To swear on the names of her murdered family was the most solemn vow he imagined she could ever make, and she made it without a moment's hesitation…Why did she even care if he lived or died?

"Let him go, InuYasha…too much blood has been spilt already…don't make me spill yours."

InuYasha was frozen with indecision; she had to be lying…it was nothing but a damn trick! But what if she was right…he would be no better than a murderer to kill Sesshoumaru for something he didn't do, even if he was a cold hearted bastard…he stared long and hard into that scarred but beautiful face, that face that whispered of suffering he didn't yet know or understand, until Kagome's voice broke through his thoughts;

"InuYasha, let him go! She's telling the truth!"

Miroku frowned, glancing at her, "Kagome!" he whispered sharply, "I don't think we can risk…"

Kagome persisted, clenching her fists as shimmering tears ran down her cheeks, "Please InuYasha!" she begged.

The crimson faded from his eyes as InuYasha slowly stood up, as if compelled by Kagome's tears. He stood there silently, Baiken's unwavering blade still pressed against his neck. At length he sheathed the Tetsusaiga and awaited the end. To his surprise, the blade moved away and Baiken clicked it into its sheath again with a flick of her wrist. He turned toward her and looked at her in silence for a long moment, trying to understand.

The world began to move again as he felt Kagome throw her arms around him from behind and squeeze him tightly, burying her face between his shoulder blades, "Thank you…thank you…"she whispered breathlessly. He turned and wrapped his arms around her, entwining his fingers in her silken sable hair and holding her close, bowing his head and taking refuge in her loving arms amid a sea of death. Her slow, steady breaths calmed him and the sweet scent of her hair drowned out the nauseating stench of ichor that hung like a pall over the village and assaulted his senses.

Baiken turned away, trying to shut out the horrific carnage that surrounded her, a slaughter that was all too similar to the Gear attack that killed her entire family and cost her right arm and left eye. This was the kind of tragedy she had come to the past to prevent, but it seemed that once again she had fallen short, and she trembled with indignation at the thought of it.

Sesshoumaru got to his feet, wordlessly grasping the hilt of his Tokijin and pulling it from the ground. He slid it back into its resting place at his hip, its blade unsullied with blood. He clenched his fist angrily, unsure what to do about the turmoil that raged in his mind and furious at himself for being so deeply and profoundly moved and haunted by the dead child's face that he had wanted to weep as he looked into her lifeless eyes. He had seen Rin's face for a moment as he looked into those eyes, and it had driven fear like a frozen arrow into his very core. For once in his long existence he had known what it was to fear losing someone he cared about, and what it was to feel grief at the loss of human life. Someone would pay dearly for this, he silently vowed.

Miroku breathed a sigh of relief and felt Sango's hand slip into his for a moment, offering a gentle squeeze. She too was relieved at the outcome, but everyone seemed at a loss as to what to do next. Kagome was the first to break the silence; she snapped her fingers and her face brightened up, "Wait a minute! Sesshoumaru, can't you use that healing sword of yours to bring these people back to life? The Tensuseiga, can't it save all these people in just one swing?" Sesshoumaru shook his head, his face betraying no expression and his voice resuming its typical monotone, "No. The messengers of the afterlife have already claimed their souls. They are beyond my reach now." Everyone seemed downcast, including Baiken, who turned away from the group slightly and gazed into the dirt, apparently not wanting to make eye contact with any of them. After a brief pause, Miroku spoke up solemnly, "I think we should get to work burying the dead…it's only fitting that we honor them after they were so hospitable to us."

InuYasha looked at Miroku and nodded. Without a word he walked over to a ruined hut where a shovel jutted out from a pile of half broken tools and grasped the handle, pulling it from the rubble to begin the macabre work.

The sun had nearly set by the time the burials were complete. The group stood quietly before the numerous graves, with Sesshoumaru and Baiken standing aloof a short distance away, having been joined by Rin and Jaken. The little imp snorted quietly, crossing his arms, "I'll never understand humans…they seem to act just like demons sometimes…" Rin shushed him as Miroku said the last of his prayers for the departed over the simple graves.

Miroku unfolded his hands and turned toward the rest of the group, "Something troubles me…" he said pensively, gazing past his companions toward the blazing orb that slowly vanished behind the far-off hills, "Who or what could have possibly done all this while we slept, and yet none of us heard a thing? And more importantly, why?"

"Yeah," InuYasha interjected, "And why were we all left unharmed?"

Baiken gazed back and forth from one to the other. Finally she sighed and gripped the hilt of her katana, giving a nonchalant shrug, "It's all beyond me. I've seen enough messed up shit in my time that nothing surprises me anymore. Sometimes, there's just no reason at all. That's the sad, shitty, awful truth of it." The rest of the company fell silent; there was something in Baken's voice that told them she didn't want to speak or hear one more word on the subject, and that she didn't intend to stay there a moment longer. She turned to go and began walking off down the road away from the nightmarish landscape of the once beautiful town.

Sesshoumaru turned to leave as well, followed by Jaken, but Kagome suddenly turned to him and Baiken, "Wait, please! I wanted to thank you, miss, for what you did…I don't even know your name, but would you, Sesshoumaru, Rin and Jaken please stay and eat with us tonight?"

Sesshoumaru stopped dead in his tracks, but did not turn around. Jaken's jaw dropped as he turned to Rin, "What did she just say?" Rin giggled a little in reply. InuYasha was dumbfounded; he blinked at Kagome, then stared hatefully at the back of Sesshoumaru's head. He knew his half brother hadn't been the one to kill the villagers, but he wasn't exactly keen to sit down to dinner with him either. Kagome persisted, "Please, miss? It's the least we can do, and I'd really like to get to know you a little better."

Baiken considered Kagome's request in silence for a moment. Such a strange girl; she had something very earnest about her, very genuine. At length, Baiken smirked, letting out a little chuckle, "Feh, why not? It's not like I've got anywhere important to go." She leaned back, resting her hand on her hip and half turning to Sesshoumaru, "You're going to stay too, yeah?"

Rin piped up, "Oh, please Lord Sesshoumaru! It's been a long time since I've talked with Kagome and Shippou and the others!"

Sesshoumaru half turned and looked down at Rin for a moment, then glanced at Baiken. Her face wore a knowing smirk, as if she, a mere human, could tell at a glance what was going through his mind. She was an infuriating woman! Interfering with his battle with InuYasha, and then speaking to him as though he were her pet dog! Such insolence! Why then was he so strongly inclined to grant her request? Why did she hold such interest for him? For some unfathomable reason, he enjoyed her presence and did not wish to part with her yet. He stared at her for a while, unsure whether he wanted to kill her or do something entirely different to her…finally, he nodded dispassionately, his voice as calm and cool as ever, "Very well, it makes no difference to me. We will stay if you wish."

"By the way…" Baiken added, "My name is Senshiro Baiken. Don't EVER call me miss again, understand?" Kagome blinked in surprise, rather taken aback by Baiken's less than delicate manner. She laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head, "Uh..no problem!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

They traveled down the road together for a while, quietly talking as they tried to leave the nightmare of the annihilated village far behind them. None of them had been able to summon up any appetite yet. InuYasha, Sesshoumaru and Jaken remained stoically and stubbornly silent, although Rin happily chatted with Sango and Miroku, and Kagome carefully inquired about Baiken.

"So…you actually aren't a samurai from the feudal era? You mean to say you came from the future, like me?"

Baiken nodded, "I arrived through that well a few miles from here. A gearborg named Testament told me that the well in the ruins of Tokyo was a gateway to the past…"

"Gearborg…?" Kagome broke in, highly confused, as she had at first thought that the well linked two specific points in time, and could only be traversed by herself and InuYasha. She mused for a moment, then blinked as the implication of the word Baiken used dawned on her, "Err..ruins of Tokyo? What do you mean by that?"

Baiken heaved a sigh, casting a sidelong glance at Kagome, "Are you sure you really want to know this stuff, kid? Are you sure you want to know the future?"

Kagome stared back into Baiken's one hazel eye for a long while, searching to find the answer to that question. It sounded like the future wasn't a bright one, but she told herself that whatever it was, it wasn't written yet; it could still be changed. She nodded silently. Baiken began to speak.

"Far in the future, I don't know exactly when, the arcane arts, magic, will be rediscovered. At first it will seem like a golden age of prosperity, as magic and science combine to provide a seemingly limitless source of energy. But then _that man_ will use a twisted combination of magic and science to create a race of bio engineered killing machine freaks called Gears, and his creation will set off a series of global wars. Japan will be destroyed, and the world plunged into a massive conflict known as the Crusades. Only when the first and ultimate Gear, Justice, is sealed in a dimensional prison, will it all come to an end.

The look of horror on Kagome's face was obvious. She cupped her hand over her mouth and looked away, watching the dirt pass by beneath her feet for a while. She composed herself finally, blinking away tears that had begun to sting her eyes, "So then your family was killed in the destruction of Japan…? And that's how you…how you…were scarred?"

Baiken shook her head, "No, Japan was destroyed many years before I was born. I lived with my family in one of the many Japanese internment camps created by the world government to 'safeguard' what remained of the Japanese race. Unfortunately we weren't safe, and my colony was wiped out by an attack of the gears…that's when I lost my arm and my eye. I vowed revenge against _that man_, the maniacal piece of shit who created those goddamn gears…that's why I went through the well, to try and go back in time and kill him before he had a chance to create them. I guess I went back a little bit too far…"

"There is something ironic about your quest that has just occurred to me…" Sesshoumaru said suddenly. Apparently he had been listening quite intently to her the entire time, but his sudden interjection startled Kagome and the others, "Whatever reasons you might have had for coming here, one thing is certain. You cannot prevent the future from occurring the way you said it will."

Baiken stared hard at the back of Sesshoumaru's head, her jaw clenching slightly, "Oh yeah, why's that?"

"Because if _that man_, as you call him did not create the Gears and the world was not plunged into chaos, then your family would not have died, you would not have been maimed, and you would not be here right now. It seems the future is inevitable after all."

Sesshoumaru's words hit Baiken like a vicious slap in the face; she felt the bile start to rise in her throat, but she gritted her teeth and summoned all the hardness and stoicism she could muster and turned her face away from Sessoumaru's back, looking out at the pale moon that was beginning to creep above the hills in the distance. She said nothing, but she was devastated. It hadn't occurred to her before now, but of course he had to be right, it was all a futile hope: she was in the feudal period of Japan's history now, and in another five hundred years or so, she would leap into the well in the ruined city that would bring her back here, an act she would never have committed if not for the blood soaked, grief saturated history wrought by _that man._ Every step, every moment in history, every small event that led up to that decision was irrevocably predestined. To prevent despair from overwhelming her, she instead let herself seethe with bitter, malicious hatred for him. Maybe she couldn't change the past after all, but she would make sure that he suffered and died miserably for what he had done. That much history had not yet been written, and offered still a glimmer of hope.

Kagome, sensitive as she was, perceived the terrible impact Sesshoumaru's careless comment had on their new companion, and she frowned angrily at him, "Sesshoumaru!" she hissed angrily. He didn't respond. Although InuYasha had been oblivious to the exchange, its import dawned on him because of his sensitivity to Kagome's feelings. He sneered at Sesshoumaru, "Geeze, you're such a damned asshole sometimes, Sesshoumaru."

Sesshoumaru ignored them, seemingly oblivious to the effect of his words. He had never been good at understanding or reading the emotions of others, usually because he simply didn't care in the least about anyone else. That fact had begun to change since Rin entered his life, however, and he felt a tiny pang of guilt gnawing at the back of his mind. He tried his best to ignore it.

A long while passed in uncomfortable silence until they drew nearer to a large green hill dotted with groves of leafy trees that whispered quietly in the spring evening breeze. They paused and gazed up the hill, and through a growing mist they could barely make out the shape of a small shrine and the nearby shrine keeper's house perched atop a tall cliff.

Miroku smiled, "There we are! I'm sure the shrine keeper would be more than happy to have a few guests drop in for dinner, especially given that I'm such an esteemed monk myself…"

Sango sighed, poking Miroku in the ribs, "Are you sure he'd be so welcoming considering we have three demons traveling with us?" Miroku frowned and scratched his head, "Uh…well…"

Kagome broke in, "Don't worry about it! Let's just go say hello; the worst he can do is tell us to leave."

When they arrived at the shrine, they found it utterly deserted. It looked desolate, like nobody had lived there for some time. They looked around the grounds a bit and discovered an explanation; three graves set in a neat little row. The feudal wars that ravaged the countryside had not left this place untouched, or maybe it had been some disease that the primitive medicine of the time could not combat, they didn't know. Miroku said a prayer over the graves, lighting an incense stick for each one.

Kagome sighed; she was tired of seeing death at every turn. She gazed at the main shrine building: it seemed to be in a fairly good state of repair, and at least its pagoda style roof would keep out the rain from the darkening clouds that seemed to be looming ever nearer, partially obscuring the moon. It had a large, wrap around terrace that jutted over the edge of the cliff, offering a breathtaking view of the valley below. Kagome smacked her fist into her open palm with a look of keen decisiveness, "Alright, come on everyone. Let's stay here tonight."

Soon there was a fire roaring in a sunken fire pit near the open paper doors that led onto the terrace, and the sweet smell of roasting strips of beef marinated in teriyaki filled the room. The group sat huddled around the fire as the rain began to pelt against the tile roof, playing a kind of muffled symphony. Despite the rain, the breeze was warm and brought with it a fresh, invigorating scent of cherry blossoms and new grass. It was powerfully atmospheric, and it put everyone in an introspective mood. Everyone except InuYasha, who was practically drooling over himself at the thought of devouring the delicious teriyaki strips, "Mmmmm I love when you bring me fresh meat, Kagome! Your world is weird, but man do they have some good food!"

Kagome smirked, "Down boy! You have to share. There's plenty for everyone. I've also got some sticky rice and soy to go with them, and even some sashimi!" Miroku grinned broadly as he sat dangerously close to Sango, "Your cooking is always top notch, Kagome! I don't know what we'd do without you." Kagome blushed slightly, "It's nothing, really."

Sesshoumaru stood back from the group sitting around the fire, his arms crossed as he watched them all dispassionately. Mostly he watched little Rin, who happily bubbled and chatted with them, telling Kagome stories about picking flowers, and funny things that Jaken did, much to the little toad's chagrin. Sesshoumaru thought little of this band of humans, and even less of his bastard hanyou half brother InuYasha, yet being a part of the familial atmosphere made Rin happy, and that was reason enough for the great Lord Sesshoumaru to tolerate their existence, at least for one night. He cast a gaze around the room, noticing that Baiken was nowhere to be found.

Sango noticed it too, and ventured to comment, "Hey, where did Baiken get off to? Dinner is ready…"

Her question was almost immediately answered by the sound of the front door being abruptly slid open and Baiken's gruff but triumphant, "HA!" echoing through the halls of the old shrine. Everyone turned in surprise to see her striding confidently through the door with two large pottery casks of ceremonial sake slung over her shoulder, "it wouldn't be a proper dinner without some good sake! And this stuff, believe me, is VINTAGE!" She grinned broadly, slinging the two very heavy casks down onto the floor near the group with surprising ease, letting their decorative crimson ropes drop to the floor, "This is some of the best stuff you can get anywhere, and to think they would have wasted it sacrificing it in this silly shrine! This stuff is legendary for anyone who appreciates fine sake, and it doesn't even exist anymore in my time!"

Miroku looked peevishly at Baiken, "Please, this is a shrine; I think a little decorum is in order." Without another word, he stood up and strode over to where Baiken was standing. She had unloaded a stack of small, shallow sake dishes onto the floor from their place of concealment in her kimono. Miroku abruptly stooped, picked one up and handed it to Baiken, "Hold this, please!" he said brusquely. He stooped and hefted one of the large jars of sake, very carefully pouring some into the dish. He took the cup from a somewhat bemused Baiken and walked it to the altar. Placing it there, he bowed very solemnly and respectfully clapped his hands twice in front of him, "An offering to calm the unquiet spirits and give them peace."

He turned around suddenly with a broad grin on his face, "Now that that's done with, eat drink and be merry!" He dashed over and knelt beside Sango, grinning and salivating almost as much as InuYasha, "ITADAKIMAS!"

Baiken chuckled heartily and set about pouring the sake, passing around the small dishes to everyone as InuYasha, Miroku and Shippou hungrily devoured the feast set before them. Shippou scooted over to Baiken with a mouthful of teriyaki beef, "Hey! Can I try some of that? I'm a full fledged demon, you know, so I can handle it!" he sputtered around his dinner, sending little bits of juicy beef flying. Baiken smirked and poured a saucer for him, "Sure kid, drink up." The little fox demon grinned broadly. Kagome frowned, "Uh, Baiken, I don't think…" Her protests were too late; Shippou had already downed the whole thing. Baiken laughed loudly, taking a bite of beef and a sip of sake to wash it down. "Sesshoumaru! Join us, oh great dog demon!" She cast a sidelong glance toward where he was standing only to see him walking toward the door.

"Oi! Where you going? You're going to miss out on this feast! Not to mention some mighty fine sake! You could use a little loosening up," Baiken smirked at him, chewing a mouthful of the savoury meat.

Sesshoumaru didn't turn around, but merely paused in the doorway. "I am not hungry. Take care of Rin while I am gone; I must clean this filth from my kimono. JAKEN, come."

The little toad demon jumped and blinked at Sesshoumaru, his mouth filled with rice and a saucer of the powerful, well aged sake in his small green claw, "Mmnghff, yefth muh oorfth," he mumbled. He swallowed the large mouthful and gulped down the sake, dashing obsequiously after his master. Sesshoumaru disappeared from the room, and Jaken paused and turned around to address the group in a hushed voice, "See that no harm comes to Rin while we are away! You should all feel honored that the great and mighty Lord Sesshoumaru entrusts you with his possession!"

"Yeah, whatever Jaken," InuYasha sneered derisively, "tell Lord Poufybritches that the pleasure is all ours, and don't call Rin a possession. She's not a _thing_ for your asshole master to play with."

Jaken puffed indignantly at InuYasha's disrespectful tone, his green cheeks flushing red and hot; he opened his mouth to retort, but the bellowing voice of his master resounding from the rain soaked night and calling his name convinced him he hadn't the time. He retreated from the room as fast as his stubby toad legs could carry him. Rin grinned and waved, "Goodbye master Jaken, see you soon! Have fun with Lord Sesshoumaru!"

As the little imp darted outside, Baiken let out a hearty roaring laugh, pouring another saucer of sake, "Is he always such a pompous windbag?" InuYasha grinned back, "Who, Jaken or my idiot brother?" Baiken poured a saucer of sake for InuYasha, handing it over, "I imagine the servant gets it from the master, yeah?"

The beating rain outside continued to pelt the worn terracotta tiles of the shrine roof long into the night, the crackling fire and the warm, congenial conversation helping everyone to forget what they had seen that day. Miroku told a ghost story, which frightened Rin and Shippou a little bit, though the latter puffed out his chest and slurred drunkenly that refused to believe it. He gave up on that, though, and stumbled over to Kagome, flopping down at her side, instantly feeling better. Kagome gave Rin a hug and suggested the little girl sing a song with her. They did, and everyone listened intently to the tune of a very old Japanese lullaby. None listened more intently than InuYasha, whose gaze was riveted on Kagome's features as the firelight danced over them; she was achingly beautiful sometimes, and at times like this he longed to say those three little words that always seemed so difficult for him to form. The expression on his face and the way his gaze lingered on Kagome when she wasn't looking wasn't lost on anyone, including Baiken. She leaned over to Sango and gave a gentle nudge, "Is he always this love struck? It's kind of sickening…" she whispered. Sango muffled a chuckle, giving a nod, "He's kind of clueless." InuYasha's ears twitched and his face flushed red, although that was partially due to the amount of sake he had consumed, "Hey…I can hear yoush guysh ya know…ya want I should knock her blocksh off, huh..?" he said, rather a bit too loudly. Kagome frowned, "InuYasha, sit!"

The hanyou's chin immediately slammed to the floor, and he let out a defeated, exasperated groan. Rin giggled. Shippou shook his head, "Idiot."

Their bellies full and the flickering light of the fire glowing over them, a tired, relaxed heaviness began to settle over the group. Rin had long since fallen asleep, having cuddled up beside a mortified Shippou. "You're cute!" she had said, "Your tail reminds me of Lord Sesshoumaru's mokomoko. He had fumed silently for a while as the sleepy little girl held and nuzzled his fluffy tail, using it as a pillow, but after a while sleep and the powerful effects of the small amount of sake he had consumed overtook him too and he lay down and drifted off into peaceful dreams. InuYasha waited until Miroku and Sango had fallen asleep before moving beside Kagome. He sat up beside her as she lay on her sleeping mat rolled out beside the fire. Baiken's slumped form was propped up against one of the nearby pillars, apparently having passed out from the copious amount of sake she had consumed. InuYasha watched her intently, furtively, as if he feared being caught at something. She seemed to be utterly unconscious, her hand resting limply on the floor, palm up, with an empty sake dish resting against her partially open fingers. One thing was for sure, she could definitely drink any one of them under the table.

InuYasha's body felt warm and tingly, overtaken with a heavy feeling. It was the first time he had ever been drunk, and he wondered if he'd remember all the things he'd said and done tomorrow. He looked down at Kagome, then with one last furtive glance at Baiken's slumped, motionless form, he reached out and very gently caressed Kagome's sable hair. The rain outside was beginning to let up, and the clouds had parted to reveal a broad, glowing full moon that poured its pale light into the little temple. He gazed at her, the alcohol ironically seeming to give him clarity of thought he'd not felt before. Probably an illusion, but he didn't care. In that moment, he felt closer to her than ever, and the love he felt for her burned hotter and more passionately than he'd ever known before. He loved so much to just watch her sleep, guarding over her like any good dog would. He was her captive, that was for sure; once again, for the second time in his life, he had lost his heart to a woman. He loved her so much his heart ached.

"She's pretty special to you, hmm?"

Inuyasha's golden eyes snapped up to lock with Baiken's single, half lidded eye. She gazed out knowingly at him from under her droopy eyelid, a very subtle smile curling her lips. So she hadn't been sleeping. He was thankful for the red flush that the sake brought to his cheeks, because it hid the embarrassed blush that no doubt flooded them now. He nodded, staring intently at her.

"Like father, like son," the female warrior mused, turning her head and gazing out at the full moon. "What's that supposed to mean?" InuYasha said peevishly but quietly, not wanting to wake any of the sleepers. His brow knit in annoyance and confusion, "What has Sesshoumaru been telling you about me?"

Baiken shook her head, "Nevermind, it's nothing." She stood up, withdrawing a long, slender pipe from her kimono. She strode over to the fire, stooping to pick up one of the partially burnt sticks of wood that jutted from the embers, one end glowing orange. He watched her as she held the pipe in her teeth and gently puffed it, the glowing ember flashing to life as it ignited the tobacco packed in the pipe bowl. She carelessly tossed the stick back into the fire and took a long drag on her pipe before looking at the half demon through a billowy wisp of smoke, "You're a faithful dog, InuYasha. I get the feeling it runs in your family."

He was taken aback; he set his jaw and gazed at her as a pained look washed over his face, "You sure about that?" he asked somewhat bitterly. Would she really say the same if she knew the truth about him? About his family? About Kikyou? No, he certainly wasn't worthy to be called 'Faithful', and as much as the hanyou longed to know his father, neither did he. InuYasha never thought much about it, but he knew his father had been unfaithful to Sesshoumaru's mother with Izayoi. As for Sesshoumaru, InuYasha imagined that cold hearted asshole had never been faithful to anything but his own arrogance and pride.

A faithful dog? Hardly. Every time he thought about Kikyou, it felt like a betrayal of Kagome, but he couldn't help those feelings. He hated himself for it sometimes, for being so torn between them and for the way it hurt Kagome. He smirked bitterly, gazing down at the sleeping angel by his side as a twinge of sadness stung his heart, "You don't know me. Don't act like you're some kind of all knowing sage that can read me like a book."

"Fair enough," she said gently, turning toward the open door that led to the wraparound terrace that encircled the shrine, "Just don't let her down, okay?"

She strode out into the night sky. The rain had stopped now and the clouds had parted to reveal the most brilliant starry sky Baiken had ever seen; in her time, the light pollution from the massive cities made it almost impossible to see the stars. It was truly breathtaking, and she allowed herself to forget for a moment as she gazed at them.

InuYasha watched her walk around the corner and disappear from sight before he lay down beside Kagome. He closed his eyes and let her scent drift into his nostrils. "I want to be a faithful dog for you…" he whispered, feeling sleep rapidly descending over his alcohol-dulled senses, "I love you."

As Baiken rounded the corner of the shrine to the back side, she nearly dropped her pipe in surprise; Sesshoumaru was standing at the railing, gazing out at the night sky. The cool evening breeze ruffled his mokomoko, trailing through his long silver hair and billowing through the folds of his white kimono. His clothing was spotless again, bearing none of the blood stains of the previous two days. He didn't acknowledge her presence, but she knew he was aware of her; he was too astute not to be. She gathered herself for a moment, unsure of whether to turn around and walk back the way she came, or to approach. She took a puff of her kiseru, sending a billowy wisp up into the clear evening sky and gave a shrug. Her decision made, she strode up and stood beside him, her hand resting nonchalantly on the hilt of her sword. She didn't look at him or say anything, just stood beside him and gazed out at the horizon and the dark valley below.

"You reek of alcohol," Sesshoumaru said flatly after a long silence had passed between them.

"You sure know how to sweet talk the ladies, don't you big guy?"

"And you're obviously drunk."

Baiken chuckled and withdrew the pipe bit from between her lips, blowing a perfect smoke ring into the sky, "And you're an acrimonious, overly repressed, self-aggrandizing asshole. Nobody's perfect." She slipped the pipe stem between her teeth again, taking a puff. Sesshoumaru bristled at her comment; she could feel it. It seemed like he was unsure how to respond, or even if he should respond at all. Finally he settled on a low growling monotone, "Watch your insolent tongue, woman. Don't think that my forbearance will last forever. Many have died for less egregious insults than you have given me."

"Are you going to kill me, Sesshoumaru?" the question was flat, without any real emotion. It seemed stoic in its resignation, like she really didn't care if he did or not, like she was curious if he would. The reply surprised him; she apparently had a penchant for doing that.

"Not today," came the reply after a brief pause. She smiled in amusement and took another puff.

"Why don't you show more? Is there a particular reason?"

"What?" the reply was terse. He knew what she meant.

"Why do you hide so much behind that stone face of yours?"

"How dare you…" he sneered at her, his eyes turning red, "I warned you, woman!"

"You showed how you felt today, when you saw that little girl. It must have been hard for you. She can't have been much older than Rin…" her tone was gentle; there was no mockery in it. Still, he bristled with fury, his mokomoko puffing out and rising, his eyes turning blood red and his clawtips dripping with venom. He felt fury and embarrassment mingling in his mind, rage boiling up from inside him. He wanted to kill her right there, to rip her heart out and throw her lifeless body off the damned cliff. Hate and rage and pride seethed inside him as he fought to keep control of himself; he didn't want to kill her. Why…? Why shouldn't he? But he didn't want to…

"Have you ever told her?"

He felt another feeling rise in his throat, making him feel like he would choke on it: shame. Her words were like a slap in the face. He felt ashamed of himself at that moment, and he didn't know why. His fingers clenched. He didn't know what to do. DAMN HER! He turned around sharply, his back toward her, trying to keep the façade of cold, emotionless calculation alive. He felt all the fervor of emotion he had felt earlier that day welling up inside him again, he remembered the dead girl's face, felt the image of her pallid, stiffened, silently screaming visage surface in the darkness of his mind. He thought of Rin's death, of the inevitable, dreaded day when he would have to bury her, because such is the lot of all human lives. He tried to hold back that thought, but it assaulted his mind like a rising crimson tide, creeping deeper into his thoughts. No matter how well he might protect her, there was something he could never protect her from: the relentless onslaught of time. He clenched his fists so tightly his palms bled, cut by his sharp clawtips. Outwardly, he betrayed little sign, but inwardly he was breaking, and he hated this damned human woman for making him feel this way. He hated InuYasha, he hated Izayoi, he hated his father, he hated himself. His mind was so awash in hatred and anger, he felt like he would drown in it; he hoped he would, because hatred was easier than love. So very much easier…

Suddenly, he felt the last thing he ever expected: he felt her hand slip over his raised fist. He stopped dead, like he'd been shot through the heart with one of Kagome's sacred arrows. The blood red glow faded from his eyes and his fangs receded back behind his lips as he looked down at Baiken's single eye, at the scarred face that itself concealed so much pain. For a brief moment, Lord Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands felt his soul touched by that of another, felt a connection across what had always seemed an unbridgeable gap. This woman knew more about suffering and loss than most humans would ever know, and more about hatred and loathing as well, while the thought of losing someone he loved was alien to the Great Lord Sesshoumaru. That is, until recently, until Rin.

She stood there looking up at him, her face utterly peaceful. She gazed into his eyes deeply, feeling a strange, unfamiliar feeling of connection with him in that moment of turbulent emotion and outward stillness. She felt something move deep inside her, something she didn't recognize anymore, but the movement of which she felt nonetheless. They stood there a long time, looking at one another, searching. Finally, her small hand withdrew, and his own clawed hand very nearly pursued it, but the feeling gave rise merely to a flexing of his fingertips as her touch slipped away. Nothing needed to be said in that moment, it seemed, and she left it at that, walking past him the way she had come. Neither of them turned to face the other again as she departed, but Sesshoumaru ventured to speak.

"I am sorry."

She paused, but did not turn around.

"My words earlier today…were thoughtless. It was uncalled for."

"Forget it."

"…"


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Kagome…"

InuYasha's voice sounded far off, as if heard in echoes from across a canyon. The swirling haze of dreams began to fade and Kagome opened her eyes to find herself on the floor of the shrine once more.

"We have to go back." InuYasha said resolutely.

Kagome fully opened her eyes to find InuYasha crouched over her; his face bore a determined, if grim expression. "We have to go back to the village," he repeated. Kagome rubbed her eyes and sat up, yawning sleepily. She looked around to find that Sango, Miroku, Rin and Shippou were still sleeping; Baiken, Sesshoumaru and Jaken were nowhere in sight, but given that Rin was still present, they couldn't be far off. She looked into InuYasha's golden hued eyes, wondering what would make him so adamantly want to return to that grisly place. "Okay, but why?"

"Haruna…she and her mother weren't among the corpses we buried. I didn't realize it until this morning…I…I had a dream of them, and when I woke up I realized they weren't among the dead."

Kagome's expression changed to one of shock, then concern. She nodded slowly, collecting her thoughts. She got to her feet, looking resolute, "Right, we need to go right away! We can't waste a moment…whatever killed the villagers could be on their trail, and we've already lost a day in tracking them. Do you think you can still pick up the scent so long after?"

"I think so…"

Miroku and the others had begun to stir, awakened by Kagome and InuYasha's conversation. Before long, they had brought all the others up to speed. Miroku considered what they had said. He stroked his chin thoughtfully, then nodded, "If there's any chance of saving even one life, we have to do everything in our power. Let's go."

They all dashed out of the shrine, followed by Rin, to find Baiken and Sesshoumaru already standing outside. Baiken was standing in silence by the roadside, a long, slender kiseru tobacco pipe with a small, rounded bowl held between the tips of her fingers. She puffed pensively on it, sending little wisps of smoke into the air as she did so. She was gazing out over the verdant expanse of woods and farmland that spread out in the valley floor below. Sesshoumaru was standing a few steps away from her, also looking out silently over the valley; they weren't speaking to one another. It was an odd scene, and it made InuYasha furrow his brow in confusion and mild annoyance. "Weirdos…" he muttered almost inaudibly under his breath. Kagome stifled a small giggle and smiled like she knew something he didn't. He shrugged it off, "Come on, let's get going," he said, loud enough for Sesshoumaru and Baiken to hear. He started walking away down the road, followed by Miroku, Sango, Kagome and Shippou. He paused and glanced at Sesshoumaru, "Hey!"

Sesshoumaru half turned and glanced at his younger brother, but remained, as usual, stoically silent.

"I'm sorry about yesterday," InuYasha said tersely. Sesshoumaru nodded. The exchange ended as abruptly as it began, with both brothers suddenly turning away. InuYasha started down the road again.

"Where are you going?"

InuYasha turned to see Baiken watching him intently with her one hazel eye, the long slender pipe stem hanging loosely between her lips. He hesitated, the replied, "Back to the village." Baiken stared at him; she took a long, slow draw on her kiseru pipe, then puffed out a billowy cloud of gray smoke.

"…I…have this feeling. There was a little girl and her mother in the village. We met them the night before…before it happened. They weren't among the dead, and it didn't dawn on me until this morning."

Baiken hesitated, "…do you really think there's a chance they're still alive?" she asked, her voice hushed. Inuyasha nodded, "I think there's still time."

Baiken was silent for a moment as she considered InuYasha's words. At length she shot a glance at Sesshoumaru. With his help they could easily track down any survivors, and considering the gruesome scene they had all witnessed the day before, his help might be needed if they encountered the cause of the slaughter. "Well?" she asked.

The youkai lord was surprised by the question, although his face betrayed little of his emotion; what had it to do with him? He maintained the stony composure of his typical stoic expression, regarding Baiken with a cold gaze, "You may do whatever you wish. I have no interest in becoming any further involved in such business."

Baiken whirled on him, fire flashing in her eyes as she stared hard into his face. She was trembling faintly, her fist clenched. Sesshoumaru met her stare; he hated being looked at that way, partly because he didn't fully understand what it meant. He had never been very good at understanding or reading the feelings of others. He wondered briefly why he even cared what she felt.

"…Bastard," Baiken hissed tersely under her breath, her small fist clenching so tightly that the colour vanished from her skin. She trembled faintly in sorrow or indignation or both, looking like she was about to punch him in the face.

As he gazed into her eye, he somehow sensed what lay beneath that façade of anger and it dawned on him that he had truly hurt her. He felt deeply ashamed of himself, like a dog that had been scolded for doing wrong. It angered him that this peasant human could so easily stir the usually tranquil pool of his emotions. She turned and began to walk away. He reached for her, but she anticipated his movement and slapped his hand aside. He didn't want to part with her yet, but she was beyond his ability to control. He was ashamed and angry, frustrated that this mere human woman seemed to place him in such a confused, uncertain state of mind, and yet the feelings she stirred in him somehow made him want more. He had never _felt_ anything so intensely in his life before, excluding perhaps his hatred and bitterness toward his father and InuYasha's mother, Izayoi. Never before had anyone, human or yokai, _dared _to treat the Great Lord Sesshoumaru with such insolence and familiarity.

He fought within himself as he watched her walk away; he wanted to feel again what he felt the night before, and yet his pride simmered in outrage. Curiously, he found his mind drifting back to the previous night and he imagined his fingers intertwining with hers rather than letting those soft, delicate fingertips slip from his grasp. But there was no changing what had passed between them and the Great Lord Sesshoumaru would not humble himself to _anyone_, let alone a mere mortal woman. He forced himself to turn from her, to shut out her face from his mind and keep her scent from drifting to his nostrils. He forced himself to walk away for fear he would run to her and force her to stay if he lingered another moment. Was he going mad? How could humans be so utterly infuriating and captivating in the same moment?

Baiken gritted her teeth; she should have known better than to leave herself open to someone like Sesshoumaru. How could she be so stupid as to think anything passed between them the preceding night? To think that she had finally found another person who at least in some small measure understood her pain, who understood the dark things that swirled deep down inside her scarred soul? What did it matter? Revenge was the only thing that mattered; the only reason she existed. That and protecting what tiny shreds of innocence remained in the world. She marched past InuYasha, who was staring in bewilderment at the exchange between his brother and the fiery female samurai, and grabbed him roughly by his collar, half dragging him along the road with her, "Let's go, dog boy!"

"Bye Lord InuYasha, bye Kagome, bye Shippo, Miroku and Sango!" Rin shouted as she walked away behind her master, "Hope to see you again soon, Lady Baiken!"

Baiken clenched her fist around the hilt of her sword, letting out a little sigh. She turned and looked back at little Rin waving at her from the road, "Yeah…" she shouted, managing a little smile as she raised her hand and waved, "Catch you later, kid…" Sesshoumaru glanced back at her as she waved, and his gaze lingered a moment before he turned back. Baiken hesitated for just a moment before turning to join InuYasha and the others. "He's just a coldhearted bastard…" she told herself, "Better you never see the likes of him again." She wasn't entirely convinced.

It wasn't long before they reached the ruins of the village. A cool breeze was blowing across the desolate waste that not so long ago had been so full of life. Baiken shuddered as she surveyed the devastation; it was all too familiar to her. She had travelled across untold centuries of time to come to this ancient world, the infancy of her destroyed nation, and it seemed so achingly familiar. She had always hated and blamed the Gears for destroying her home and murdering her family, for razing the world to dust and ashes, but somehow she knew differently. Whatever crimes and atrocities the horrific race of Gears perpetuated on the earth, they were forged by the hands of man, by the blood drenched hands of one man: _that man._ She turned toward InuYasha, slipping her long, straight pipe stem between her lips and striking up a match to light it, "Get to work, dogboy," she said nonchalantly.

InuYasha growled faintly at her, then strode out into the middle of what had been the village square. The others watched him intently as he let his arms hang by his sides and tilted his head back. His eyes slipped closed as his breathing became deep and regular. He had to concentrate, recall the scent of little Haruna and her mother. He let his mind drift back to that magnificent night before the beautiful dream turned to a nightmare. He remembered Kagome, how beautiful she was, how warm her hand was as it nestled in his. He remembered the little girl who ran into him, who greeted him with joy and admiration rather than fear and loathing. He remembered her smile as she gripped his pant leg and stared up at him, and slowly he began to remember her scent. He remembered her mother's words of respect, of gratitude and unabashed kindness, and the reverence in her eyes as she spoke of her daughter's faith in him. He remembered her scent too, and slowly, he began to detect it on the breeze.

Baiken was about make a sarcastic comment when Kagome's firm grip on her shoulder and a sharp "Shh!" silenced her. As she looked, InuYasha spun around, sniffing the air briefly before getting down on all fours. He sniffed around the base of a couple of the huts before dashing toward the edge of the village, where the thick forest began. "He's got it!" Sango said, gripping Miroku's arm in her excitement. "Let's go everyone, we don't have a second to lose!" Miroku said, running off with Sango in pursuit of InuYasha. The others followed quickly, led on by InuYasha's keen sense of smell. The half demon tore through the woods on all fours like a hunting dog after the trail of an elusive fox; he must not fail! He _would not fail! _Not this time, not these humans who treated him like an equal, who even revered him as a hero. No, he would not fail little Haruna if it cost him his life.

They ran through thick brush for almost a mile before emerging from the denser woodland into a bamboo grove near a stream. Nearby a waterfall danced and sang as it cascaded over a rocky outcropping of black basalt. The midday sunlight filtered eerily through the flittering leaves, bathing the clearing near the stream in an ethereal, flame-like glow. InuYasha paused at the edge of the grove, sniffing around the grass at the water's edge, "They stopped here, and they're close by…and they're hurt."

"Are you sure?" Baiken ventured, taking a look around, thinking there wasn't much in the area that would serve as shelter or a hiding place. InuYasha turned to her and raised his hand; there was blood on his fingertips. "Shit…" Baiken breathed.

"HARUNA! WHERE ARE YOU?" InuYasha bellowed, certain she must be near, "HARUNA!"

They listened in silence for a moment, the rustling of the leaves and the singing of the brook the only sound in the eerie shadow and stillness of the bamboo grove. Suddenly, InuYasha's left ear flicked and turned instinctively in the direction of the waterfall. It took him a moment before he consciously realized it, but he could hear a faint cry coming from the direction of the small waterfall, nearly indiscernible over the sound of rushing water. He tried again, "HARUNA!"

"L..Lord InuYasha…?" the reply was so faint he scarcely heard it, but he listened intently and heard it again, "Lord InuYasha, help us!"

"She's there!" he shouted, rushing toward the waterfall. As the others looked on in amazement, he passed through the shower of water and disappeared. There was a cave hidden behind the falls! It wasn't long before he emerged carrying Haruna over his shoulder, her arms tightly wrapped around his neck, and shielding her mother with the sleeve of his kimono so she wouldn't be pelted by the rushing water. They waded to shore and he knelt down to gently set Haruna's feet on the shore, but she wouldn't let go, "Thank you Lord InuYasha! I always knew you'd come for me and mommy!"

InuYasha was speechless, blinking in surprise as the little girl hugged him tightly, nestling her face into his robe as she sobbed. He stroked her hair in a comforting gesture seemingly out of place for him, but done with all sincerity, "It's okay, you're safe now, kid."

It was then that Kagome noticed the wound on Haruna's mother's arm, "Ah! You're hurt! Let me help you…" She rushed to the woman's side, doffing her rucksack and fishing around for her first aid kit. Haruna's mother was kneeling on the grass with her head hanging low, her face to the ground, "Why…?" she began.

"Huh?" Kagome asked as she rummaged through her backpack.

"Why didn't you save us…Lord InuYasha…? Did we displease you?"

InuYasha's breath caught in his throat and he looked up at Haruna's mother. Haruna let go of InuYasha and turned to face her mother. She shook her head, "No, mommy! It's not Lord InuYasha's fault! He would have saved us!"

"Why didn't you?"

InuYasha stood up, looking her in the eyes, his heart breaking for her and guilt rising inside him; why couldn't he have saved them?

"My husband is dead…" she was crying now, tears streaming down her bloodied face, "I thought you cared about humans…I thought you cared about us!"

"Enough, woman!" Baiken broke in, the growl in her voice evident, "If he could have saved your village, he would have! I may not have known him long, but I know InuYasha would never abandon your village to that slaughter!"

Haruna ran to her mother and hugged her tightly, "It's okay, mommy! Lord InuYasha did come for us! He saved us from the demons."

"I…I'm sorry Lord InuYasha…" she began, but stopped when she noticed he had shut his eyes tightly and turned away. It was plain that he was breaking inside for the grief and guilt he felt over the loss of the village.

Miroku furrowed his brow thoughtfully, "I still don't understand how it's possible that all of us were sleeping on top of the hill just outside the village, and yet somehow not one of us was awakened when it happened…yet we were unharmed."

"Sorcery…" Baiken said.

Miroku nodded, "Yes, it hadn't occurred to me before, but remember what Baiken said about Sesshoumaru's encounter with the village woman? It's possible…

"No…I mean, well, maybe yeah, but listen!" Baiken was gripping the hilt of Kyushuu Muramasa tightly now, widening her stance into a fighting posture as she scanned the bamboo grove. The others listened intently; only silence met their ears.

"I don't hear anything…" Sango said.

"Exactly!" said InuYasha, now realizing what Baiken was talking about, "I hear absolutely nothing…not the leaves, not the birds, not the creek, nothing!" They had been enveloped in a cloak of absolute silence.

Meanwhile, not far away, Sesshoumaru was walking silently through the woods, seemingly without direction or purpose in his steps. Jaken and Rin followed along behind him.

"Lord Sesshoumaru…" Jaken began, breaking the silence with his obsequious tones, "Forgive me if I am out of my place saying so, Milord, but that brazen woman has treated you quite outrageously! I am in awe of your restraint, milord! For such a shameless, lowly vagabond of a woman to _dare_ to address you with such _insolence_, why, it's simply unthinkable…"

"Jaken…"

"Although, despite her scars she is very lovely, ah, for a human I mean…well her skin is very soft and smooth, and she does have a lovely eye…the one that's left, that is, and I suppose her voice does have a certain pleasant quality…but honestly, she's so churlish, so uncouth, so…"

"Jaken!" Sesshoumaru had stopped in his tracks, and his voice betrayed a trace of annoyance as he spoke.

"Oh, ah, forgive me, Milord, I only meant to say that you are a most noble and magnificent Lord Youkai to show such condescension and mercy to such a lowly peasant as that boorish oaf of a human…in fact, if I didn't know better, I'd say it seems as though Milord is strangely fond of having her around. It seems that Milord spends a great deal of time gazing at her when she's around, and it seems odd that you always walk side by side when she accompanies us…"

Sesshoumaru whirled around on Jaken, staring down at him with an icy cold gaze, "Are you implying that a 'boorish oaf' was capable of fighting Lord Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands to a standstill?"

Jaken trembled and swallowed hard, "Ah, yes, you're right, she did wound you after all…I mean not seriously, but still, she was very formidable that first night we met her…" Sesshoumaru's boot sole in his face silenced Jaken and sent him tumbling backward into a heap. He yelped and scrambled onto his hands and knees, bowing deeply with his face and palms pressed to the ground, "My humblest apologies…" he groaned, feeling the goose egg forming on his forehead as he spoke.

Sesshoumaru turned around and began walking again, but he took only a few steps before he stopped a second time. Jaken, who had quickly scrambled after his master, instinctively cringed and covered his head, thinking another blow was coming.

"Jaken…" said Sesshoumaru.

"Y..yes…m..milord…?" Jaken managed to squeak, peering out from between his arms as he shielded his face, certain he was about to receive something painful.

"Where is Rin?"

"Why she's right h…" Jaken began happily, relieved that he wasn't going to be struck again, but stopped short as he looked around; Rin was nowhere in sight.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The world continued to dance to the soundless tune of the fresh spring breeze, but a pall of silence had descended on that seemingly idyllic scene. Baiken tightened her grip around the hilt of her katana, focusing her keen senses as she peered into the shadowy expanse of bamboo forest surrounding them. InuYasha had drawn his Tetsusaiga and was scanning the silent woods that stared mutely back at him, "Alright, enough of this crap; show yourself!"

A single leaf floated toward the ground, innocuous, even beautiful in its graceful, meandering descent, until it suddenly split into halves; Baiken drew a sharp breath, her eye wide in astonishment as she reflexively drew her sword. Her blade was still partially sheathed when the steel of the unseen attacker clashed against it and she was staring into the face of a wild eyed demon. He was armed with what appeared at first to be an innocuous ebony walking staff, but which concealed a straight edged katana blade. He wore a conical straw hat and a black and white kimono and he was grinning broadly, the shining tips of his fangs glimmering in the dappled springtime light. Baiken snapped her blade out and struck at the unknown demon swordsman, but her blade sliced only air. An instant later they were locked in a wild, all out duel, their clashing blades singing through the silent air, the staccato blows of their razor edges ringing out through the woods around them. Baiken weaved and dodged, striking with fierce precision, but each strike was countered by a skillful parry from her opponent's weapon. Each of his strikes was likewise met by Baiken's venerable, master-crafted blade. His blade struck hers again and she countered by spinning around him, her back pressed against his; she struck at him, but he parried with a half drawn sword, then snapped the blade from its sheath and she blocked the strike. Almost instantly, she countered with the blade hidden in her empty sleeve, snapping it up from the ground as she had done in her fight against Sesshoumaru. The razor edge split the rim of his hat as the mysterious swordsman dodged backward. He spun his blade and snapped it back into the sheath again, regarding Baiken with a look of amusement.

InuYasha growled at the stranger and was about to attack him with a fierce strike of Tetsusaiga's blade when his sharp ears faintly caught the sound of steel slicing the air at extreme speed. He barely had time to twist the Tetsusaiga around before three kunai daggers struck against it, singing as they ricocheted off the broad blade, narrowly deflecting them from striking his neck and side, "What the hell!"

Sango's sharp eye caught the glint of light as the daggers were thrown by the concealed assailant. She hurled her Hiraikotsu with all her strength, the massive boomerang crashing thunderously through the bamboo shoots, cutting a wide swath through the grove, splitting and scattering all that stood in its path. The hidden enemy narrowly avoided the Hiraikotsu as he leapt from his place of concealment, forced to reveal himself by the sudden attack. He landed a short distance away from his partner, crouched low like a living shadow as he stared at the gathered group of warriors, "You need to pay attention, dog. Never assume your enemy is alone…"

InuYasha snarled, gripping the hilt of Tetsusaiga tighter and adjusting his stance, ready to dash forward and blast the demons into oblivion with his Wind Scar, "What do you freaks want with us anyway? Who the hell are you!"

The ninja chuckled maliciously from beneath his dark mask, "I am Akamatari, and this is my brother Kumokirimaru. What we want is to kill you so we can slay your little 'miko' and take the jewel shards. Since our previous attempt at trickery failed, well, let's just say we've decided to be more direct…hehe."

"Trickery…?" InuYasha said, furrowing his brows. Suddenly a sickly feeling rose in his stomach as the realization struck him, "You mean the village…? It was YOU?"

Akamatari shook with cruel laughter as he slowly drew the katana strapped to his back, "Yes, you've finally figured it out, have you? We slaughtered them all, diced them to pieces while you and your friends slept like babies on the hill…thanks to my Veil of Silence technique." He raised his weapon, his gaze wandering down the shimmering length of the blade before locking with InuYasha's, "You might have saved them, if only you weren't dreaming peacefully in the arms of your lover, InuYasha…"

"Both of you are despicable!" Miroku exclaimed, drawing sacred sutras from the folds of his robe and snapping them at the demons like throwing knives.

Kumokirimaru drew his sword, the blade singing through the air as he sliced the spell sutras into ribbons with a few blindingly fast strikes. In a blur of motion, he was in front of Miroku and the monk found himself fighting for his life against a flurry of slashes.

Kagome glanced at InuYasha; his head was bowed and he was trembling faintly, his teeth clenched tightly in a furious snarl. His ears were flattened backward and he was gripping the Tetsusaiga so tightly his knuckles where white. She could sense a terrible aura of fury and malice emanating from him, and she could see the slash markings of his demonic form spreading down his cheeks. "Oh no…" she breathed, knowing he was losing control again, as he had against Sesshoumaru the previous day.

"Bastards…!" he growled, his voice low and guttural, "I'll make you pay for every drop of their blood you spilled!"

"Try it!" Akamatari goaded, sliding into a defensive stance.

Suddenly, InuYasha vanished in a blur of motion and a burst of dust. His foe barely had time to draw a breath before the crimson-eyed InuYasha appeared in front of him and unleashed a savage slash with Tetsusaiga, spinning his whole body around and forcing all his power into the blow. Akamatari parried the strike, bracing the back of his katana's blade with his left hand.

Kagome, Sango and Shippou looked on in astonishment as Tetsusaiga shattered the enemy's blade and cleaved his body in half from his right shoulder at the base of his neck all the way through his groin. Akamatari choked out a gurgle of shock and dismay as he fell backward, driven down by the fierce power of the blow. Just as he struck the earth, the two separating halves of his body dissolved in a cloud of smoke, leaving only a small log neatly carved in two where his form had been. "WHAT?" InuYasha exclaimed, spinning around looking for his enemy.

"Lady Baiken, look out behind you!"

Baiken was shocked to hear Rin's voice calling out to her and she spun around just in time to see Akamatari leaping at her from the water where he had concealed himself after his ninja substitution technique. She parried his blade and deflected him, sidestepping and placing herself between the demon and Rin, "RIN, get to Kagome, NOW!"

Rin, who had suddenly emerged from the bamboo woods just above the waterfall, nodded and swallowed hard; she had stumbled into something dangerous, and she wished Lord Sesshoumaru was there to keep her safe. She landed at the bottom of the incline with a thud, then scrambled frantically to her feet and began running toward Kagome and Sango.

Baiken glanced at Rin, and Akamatari capitalized on her distraction; he slid his foot between her feet and tripped her, and was about to drive his blade through her heart as she hit the ground when InuYasha rocketed at him and delivered a crushing blow from Tetsusaiga. The ninja was barely able to parry it, holding the hilt of his katana in one hand while bracing the back of the blade with the other. They slid along the ground together before exchanging a series of fierce blows.

Rin stopped and stumbled back; InuYasha and the demon ninja were now blocking her path. She looked around frantically, trying to think where to run. Baiken scrambled to her knees, seeing the danger Rin was in. "RIN!" she screamed, "Get back here, quickly!" Her heart was pounding in her chest; the gruesome scene of her family's murder by ravenous gears played in her mind. She wanted, needed, desperately to keep Rin safe, to save her from the malevolence that threatened her. Akamatari glanced over at Rin as the girl ran toward Baiken, then his cruel, spiteful gaze locked with Baiken's eye, and she knew he saw the fear there. Baiken knew what was coming…

Akamatari deflected a blow from Tetsusaiga, and then grabbed a handful of poison powder from a pouch on his belt, blowing it in InuYasha's face. He snarled and stepped back, shaking his head and coughing as he tried to dispel the effects. His enemy wasted no time; he dashed toward the helpless Rin as she ran for safety, her back fully exposed as he raised the tip of his blade, preparing to run her through.

Kagome screamed out in horror at what seemed inevitable. Sango lifted Hirakotsu, but stopped as she realized with a sickly feeling that if she threw it, it would surely strike Rin as well. Miroku ensnared Kumokirimaru's blade, then kicked him hard in the stomach, turning toward Rin, but knowing he would never reach her in time…

There was a flash of movement, a cloud of dust and the sound of steel piercing flesh. They heard a grunt of pain, but when the dust cleared, they were astonished at what they saw: Baiken had thrown herself between Rin and her attacker, deliberately letting herself be impaled to protect Rin. The little girl was sitting just behind Baiken where she had been thrown to the ground; the tip of the blade was no more than a few inches from her face, and Baiken's blood was running down its edge and dripping rhythmically into the dirt between her bare feet. Tears began streaming down Rin's face as she watched those droplets form a tiny pool; it was all her fault! She had wanted to bring Lady Baiken back to Lord Sesshoumaru, wanted to see the happiness she created in him return, but now she was dying!

Baiken gritted her teeth fiercely, her iron grip wrapped around the blade of Akamatari's weapon, pressing against the handguard and keeping it from driving any deeper into her body and harming Rin. Blood was dripping from between her fingers as the edge had cut into them. Her gaze was resolute and she glared furiously at the demon, defying him even having sustained such a grievous wound. Akamatari chuckled, "Oh my! You're a feisty one, aren't you? I didn't realize you were in such a hurry to die!"

"I won't let you hurt her, I'LL KILL YOU!" she screamed, inwardly cursing her lack of another arm with which to draw her sword and slice off the bastard's head. It didn't matter! She had to protect Rin, no matter the cost. Suddenly she heard a faint rushing of wind and a thud behind her, accompanied by the sound of two sword hilts faintly clattering together. Rin's cry of relief confirmed what Baiken already knew, "Lord Sesshoumaru!"

The dog demon scooped his little girl into his arm and leapt to where Kagome, Sango and Shippou were standing looking on in a mix of shock, relief and fear.

Baiken didn't waste an instant capitalizing on the momentary distraction of her enemy. Akamatari found himself starring down the muzzle of a cannon in the shape of a fierce lion-dog that was now protruding from Baiken's empty sleeve, "EAT THIS, BASTARD!" she screamed, unleashing a massive blast from the cannon muzzle. The demon rocketed backward, crashing through the bamboo stalks as his blade sailed erratically through the air.

Kumokirimaru snarled as he watched his brother blasted through the grove by Baiken's hidden weapon. He drew his sword with a flourish and dashed at her, intent on avenging his brother's disgrace, but InuYasha drove him back with a ferocious slash. Kumokirimaru parried it, but was forced to dash backward as another slash came his way. InuYasha had recovered from the effects of the powder, and it now served only to make him more furious. He raised Tetsusaiga over his head, dashing forward and spinning his body around; "WIND SCAR!" he roared, unleashing a massive blast of energy that cut a huge swath of destruction through the underbrush. The demon samurai attempted to parry it, but his defense caved in and the Wind Scar glanced his right arm, disintegrating it. He roared in pain, but managed to avoid being completely destroyed.

He slammed against a thick cluster of bamboo, then fell to his knees. He growled in seething fury, grasping the stump at his shoulder and glaring at InuYasha. His expression suddenly turned to a grin as his arm began to regenerate, "Well, well…nicely done, half-breed, but it will take more than that to kill me. I think we'll have to continue this another time, though…have fun burying your friend!" With that, he leapt backward into the brush and was gone, disappearing into the shadows.

InuYasha drove the tip of Tetsusaiga into the ground and roared in frustration and anger, his whole body arching as his voice echoed through the grove. He sank to his knees, his forehead resting against his wrists as he gripped the hilt of his blade.

Kagome sighed in relief that the fight was over, but glanced worriedly at Baiken. She was holding her abdomen, the blood trickling between her fingers as she gazed at Rin with a half glazed eye, a peaceful, happy expression on her face, "Is…she…safe?"

Sesshoumaru turned toward her, watching her as she took a faltering step toward Rin. Sango gasped, realizing just how serious a wound Baiken had sustained; at this rate, she would bleed to death in a few minutes, and it seemed there was nothing any of them could do to stop it. Rin fought her way free of Kagome's protective grip, dashing toward Baiken with tears streaming down her face.

None of them expected what came next; Sesshoumaru strode toward her, and just as she faltered and toppled backward, he slipped his arm around her and caught her against his chest. He knelt down, gently cradling her limp body with his one arm; she winced in pain and gazed up at him through the haze that fogged her mind, "Is…she okay?" she asked again. Sesshoumaru nodded wordlessly. Baiken coughed, blood trickling from the corner of her lips, "Good, then my life was worth something after all…" Rin had come to Baiken's side, grasping her blood stained hand, "Please don't die, I'm sorry, it's all my fault!" Baiken grinned weakly at the crying child, "Don't…sweat it, kid…wasn't your fault."

"Why?" Sesshoumar asked quietly, his expression stoic and immutable as ever.

Baiken furrowed her brow at him, regarding him quizzically with a half lidded eye, "You …you would have…done the same…"

He stared back at her, awaiting another answer as if the first wasn't good enough.

Baiken coughed again, more blood staining her lips and trickling down the corner of her mouth. She opened her eye and gazed deeply into his golden irises, "Because…because I saw myself in her…because I couldn't bear to let what happened to me…happen to her…" She winced as the pain shot through her, each word driving agony into her core, "I'm already ruined, but she…she still has a chance, as long as you protect her…"

A resolute look came over Sesshoumaru's face, "Back away, Rin," he said abruptly. Rin looked up at him, fear and sorrow welling in her eyes. He nodded, looking at her with a calm, reassuring gaze. Rin nodded back, stepping away. He looked down at Baiken, "This Sesshoumaru will not allow you to die today."

He lay her down and she gazed up at him as he stood up, towering over her. She could see the sunlight shining through his blazing white hair as her vision began to darken around the edges. As she watched, feeling her body becoming cold and numb, he drew Tensuseiga from its sheath and brandished it. "Obey me, Tensuseiga," he whispered, looking deeply into her eye as the life drained from it.

Just as she was about to slip over the edge into death's cold embrace, she felt her body become light and felt the life rushing back into her. She gasped, arching her back as power flowed through her from the blade of Tensuseiga as Sesshoumaru used it to instantly heal and revive her. It was an incredible feeling, and for a moment she seemed to be floating in an almost blinding sea of light before she settled back to the cool earth of the bamboo grove. She felt at her abdomen with bloodied fingers and found no wound there. The pain had completely vanished. She looked up at Sesshoumaru, their eyes meeting for a moment before she sat up and rubbed her head, "Huh…that was…interesting."

Rin threw her arms around Baiken's neck, sobbing quietly as she buried her face against the crimson haired warrior's chest. Baiken seemed a bit taken aback for a moment, but she sighed and smiled faintly, patting the little girl's raven hair, "Hey, hush now, everything's okay…" The others breathed a collective sigh of relief, gathering themselves after the harrowing battle. Sango smiled broadly, clutching her Hirakotsu and moving beside Sesshoumaru, "Thank you, Sesshoumaru…it seems we've misjudged you in the past."

Sesshoumaru sneered faintly, glancing at her, then looking back to Baiken. "Mm," he grunted in reply.

InuYasha looked on solemnly. Damnit! Why had he been so stupid? How could he let those bastards hurt one of his companions so badly…it was a profound failure on his part. He glanced at Sesshoumaru; why had he saved Baiken? It was so unlike Sesshoumaru to show compassion for anyone, and yet his gesture in catching her as she fell seemed so tender, so earnest, so utterly out of keeping with his brother's normally cold, calculating persona. Sesshoumaru half turned toward him, casting him a cold, sidelong glance; InuYasha's face flushed hot with shame and anger. He felt like Sesshoumaru was mocking and scolding him for his inability to control the battle, all without having to say a word. He sheathed the Tetsusaiga, then turned away, gazing into the darkness of the woods. Kagome moved to his side, sensing his anger at himself, and gently rested her hand on his shoulder, "It's okay, InuYasha, you did everything you could. It isn't your fault…"

He glanced at Kagome; sometimes she was too compassionate for her own good. She was so unabashedly kind and tender hearted, it made his heart ache in both love and fear for her. He couldn't help but feel that this tendency made her vulnerable to the dark forces they constantly fought. "Kagome, I…" he began hesitantly; he didn't even want to speak the words, but he couldn't help fearing that perhaps it might have been her and not Baiken at the receiving end of an enemy's blade, that it would be her blood pooling in the dirt, and that nothing could save her. Sesshoumaru would probably relish watching her die just for the sake of the agony it would cause his half-blood brother…

"OI! InuYasha!" Baiken's voice cut through the hanyou's thoughts.

He and Kagome turned toward her; she smirked at him, "Don't flatter yourself, alright? I made the choice to get myself stabbed; it had nothing to do with you!"

InuYasha nodded, and Kagome smiled back at her, _thank you, _she mouthed silently.

"I think we need to regroup," Miroku said, glancing at Inuyasha and nodding toward Haruna and her mother, "We need to get them to safety and consider what our next move should be. We should take Haruna and her mother to Kaede's village; they can live there and they should be reasonably safe."

InuYasha nodded in agreement. He knelt down and looked into Haruna's mother's eyes, "What's your name? I never caught it before."

"Kasumi…" she said somewhat hesitantly. InuYasha nodded, "I swear I'll get both of you to Kaede's village safely. You can trust me, okay?"

Without further delay, they set off toward the village as the sun began to wane, stretching the afternoon shadows across the floor of the grove.


End file.
